Warrior Goddess Belldandy Revised
by Elizar
Summary: A darker alternate reality to the AMG universe.
1. Background Summery and Cast of Character...

**Title:** Warrior Goddess Belldandy (revised)  
**Basis:** Ah! My Goddess, Warrior Nun Areala  
**Protagonist(s):** Keiichi, Megumi, Belldandy, Urd, Skuld  
**Antagonist(s):** Marller, Senbei, Welsper  
**Synopsis:** A darker alternate reality to the AMG universe.  
**Setup:** World War III occurred twenty years ago, and the planet is littered with apocalyptic cities and marauding gangs. Rather than being a college student studying technology and skilled with vehicles, Keiichi Morisato is a master craftsman gunsmith skilled in gunplay. Perhaps even more altering: Heaven and Hell are actively at war, long abandoning the 'Doublet System' that prevented open conflict. And like all wars between deities: it's not a conquest of territories, but of souls...  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
**+++ Author's Rant +++**  
  
Why a revision? Much to my surprise, this fanfic generated more attention than I could possibly imagine. I've written quite a few stories in the past, but all of them were generally overlooked or ignored: I expected the same for this. However, as Fate would have it, this was not the case.  
  
I've received piles upon piles of feedback, good and bad, which gave me great incentive to rewrite this story and reshape it into something much greater. The same premise and tone of the tale remains, as does the general flow, but numerous alterations to continuality and context was extensively made.  
  
I hope that supporters of the original Warrior Goddess Belldandy will find this rendition to be more entertaining and worthy of the time spent rereading it. I know I'm having fun writing it.  
  
I would like to extend a huge special thanks to Chrono and Claris Sinclair. You two have shown me how to write on a better level. I also heap thanks to penghibur_syurga, Erik-K, Gostowl, Bell-chan, adam leamey99, and everyone else who's supported me from the beginning. You guys give me more praise than I deserve. :)  
  
Last but certainly not least, for those who still would like to read the original but incomplete version of this story, just download this ZIP of the TXT format chapters:  
  
http://www.elizar.com/iyd/old_amg_fanfic.zip  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
**+++ Cast of Characters (Updated: 21 October 2002) +++**  
  
  
**The Mortals:**  
  
  
**Morisato Keiichi**  
The leading protagonist. Keiichi, like his original reality version, is a low self esteemed young man who fails to see the incredible potential inside him. He is a master craftsman at designing and assembling firearms, and possesses inconceivable aptitude at gun fighting. Keiichi is generally a pacifist, although he has killed in his past - acts which he shows no signs of regretting.  
  
Keiichi's handguns are Keima and Takano; both named after his late parents. The pair is an identical matched set, over-and-under barreled firearm designed by Keiichi himself. The top barrels fire high caliber uranium depleted and/or tungsten shells for superior penetration power. The bottom barrels fire 9mm shells in three or five round bursts. Magazine capacity for each is three and fifteen, respectively.  
  
  
**Morisato Megumi**  
The younger sister of Keiichi by one year. Megumi is the same cheerful, optimistic woman fans of the original will recognize. Under her brother's supervision, she is weapons craftsman of notable skill and can wield firearms with enviable skill. Though always in the shadow of Keiichi's accomplishments, Megumi truly feared for her proficiency with small bladed weapons and fluid dance-like martial skills.  
  
Megumi carries a single firearm, which is identical to her brother's in every fashion, assembled by her with Keiichi's help. The handgun is unnamed however; or at least that's what she leads people to believe. In combat, Megumi holds the weapon in one hand, and an assorted collection of miniature knives in the other.  
  
  
**Chihiro Fujimi**  
The retired founder of the Nakomi Gang. Chihiro is currently the proprietor of Whirl Wind: a one part gun shop and one part mercenary hangout. In years past, she founded the Nakomi - arguably the most powerful gang in western Japan. Chihiro is Keiichi's and Megumi's contact to the Nakomi, which provides the siblings with work assignments and survival supplies.  
  
  
**Sakakibara Shiho**  
A religious mercenary who claims to be a demon hunter. Shiho is one of the most renowned supernatural experts in Japan; a nomadic Catholic nun who offers her services to those who require it, whether they are aware of it or not. Adventure and travel has taught the young maiden that everything is more than it seems, and Shiho is naturally mistrustful of people who startle her curiosity.  
  
  
  
**The Goddesses:**  
  
  
**Belldandy**  
Goddess of the Present. Belldandy believes the war between Heaven and Hell was a mistake that should have never occurred. Though she is against acts that will escalate the conflict, the goddess follows her orders as any solider would be expected to. Her mysterious past with Keiichi runs deep however, and if there were something that could incontestably sever her loyalties to Kamisama, it would be him.  
  
Belldandy's goddess weapons are Compassion and Mercy. The two angelically decorated swords match one another flawlessly, and reflect the inner and outer beauty of their wielder. Both blades are sentient, but cannot voice, long silenced by the horrors they have committed.  
  
  
**Urd**  
Goddess of the Past. Half goddess, half demon, Urd is both feared and esteemed in Heaven. Though her allegiance has never been questioned, few peers enjoy company in her presence, and Urd's "the ends justify the means" nature alienates many. She is considered reckless and a hazard to fight alongside, and practically always assigned missions where she's expected to work alone.  
  
Urd's goddess weapon actually is known by two names: Damnation and Salvation. It is identified by which flat of the blade its viewer gazes upon. The side with an exquisite engraving of angels guiding humans into Heaven is called Salvation. The side with a terrifying engraving of devils dragging humans into Hell is called Damnation. The weapon's voice, which speaks in melodic scriptures or chilling epitaphs, matches accordingly.  
  
  
**Skuld**  
Goddess of the Future. Skuld is a mechanical engineering genius that has shown signs of equal brilliance in battlefield tactics and strategies. For these reasons she is considered too valuable a resource to risk in dangerous field assignments and forever confined to Heaven. It is a situation the young goddess loathes, as it prevents her from knowing the situation of her elder sisters.  
  
Skuld has yet to undergo the trails for a goddess weapon, although her near infinite cache of technological equipment and weaponry more than makeup for this deficiency.  
  
  
**Peorth**   
Goddess of Forever.   
  
  
  
**The Demons:**  
  
  
**Marller**  
Demon First Class, Unlimited. Marller is a sadistic, cold-hearted demon with little regard for her brethren or the war against Heaven. All that truly concerns Marller is her standing in the hierarchy of Hell, and how she can advance herself further through it ranks. She is not entirely self-serving however, and possesses a strange sense of honor. Urd and Marller were once the closest of friends in childhood, and have an unspoken pact of respect for each other.  
  
Marller's demon weapon is Agony, a double-edged battleaxe that howls with the voice of every soul it has ever consumed: hundreds upon hundreds. In most cases, Marller and her sentient weapon are in harmony, but there has been more than one situation in which the goals of the pair conflicted, resulting in unpredictable circumstances.  
  
  
**Senbei**  
Self-proclaimed god of misery and misfortune. The faithful subordinate of Marller, Senbei is wildcard near impossible to assess at face value. His power to alter the laws of probability make him a powerful adversary, and few can withstand the chaos and destruction it leaves in his wake. All that can be expected is that Senbei will be always happy in the end.  
  
  
**Welsper**  
Demon First Class, Unlimited. One word best describes Welsper: insane. He has no goals or aspirations, no friends or dependable loyalties, and his ties to Hell are out of fear rather than reverence. Welsper enjoys war and murder for the horrors and devastation they usher; nothing else more.  
  
Welsper's demon weapon has long since been lost or destroyed; the details of which only he could know. Interestingly enough, Welsper has never shown signs of disappoint or care of this matter.  
  
  
  
**Others (cameo appearances):**  
  
  
**Hasegawa Sora**  
A key memeber of the Nakomi Gang.  
  
  
**Chrono**   
Youngest junior goddesses in the service of Peorth.   
  
  
**Era**   
Second eldest junior goddesses in the service of Peorth.   
  
  
**Ex**   
Eldest junior goddesses in the service of Peorth.   
  
  
******Yuki Gomorrah**   
A religious mercenary who claims to be a demon hunter.   
  
  
**Osawa**   
Shotgun wielding mercenary.   
  
  
**Kakuta**   
Revolver wielding mercenary.   
  
  
**Morou**   
Uzi wielding mercenary.   
  
  
**Hellspawn Yoshino**  
Male half of the mercenary group, S&M Club.   
  
  
**Red-Haired Nakano**   
Female half of the mercenary group, S&M Club.   
  
****   
**Tamiya and Ootaki**  
The leadership of the Nakomi Gang.   
  
  
**Aoshima Toshiyuki**  
The leader and founder of the largest rival to the Nakomi Gang: the Aoshima Family.  
  
  
**Mishima Sayoko**  
Cousin and trusted advisor to Aoshima Toshiyuki.  
  
  
  
**[ end of introduction notes ]**


	2. Chapter One: In the Beginning

**Title:** Warrior Goddess Belldandy  
**Author:** Gunner (admin@elizar.com)  
**Basis:** Ah! My Goddess, Warrior Nun Areala  
**Protagonist(s):** Keiichi, Megumi, Belldandy  
**Antagonist(s):** Marller, Senbei  
**Synopsis:** A much darker alternate reality to the AMG universe.  
**Setup:** World War III occurred twenty years ago, and the planet is littered with apocalyptic cities and marauding gangs. Rather than being a college student studying technology and skilled with vehicles, Keiichi Morisato is a master craftsman gunsmith skilled in gunplay. Perhaps even more altering: Heaven and Hell are actively at war, long abandoning the "Doublet System" that prevented open conflict. And like all wars between deities: it's not a conquest of territories, but of souls...  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
**Chapter Notes:** This chapter is nearly identical to the original, though there are slight changes to the continuality. They're small ones, but allude to things that won't happen until late in the story. I've also lengthened the fight sequences, since people wanted more violence. Its not senseless violence however (quit your whining): it better illustrates each character's fighting technique. Blame it on playing too much Soul Caliber 2 and watching the Blade movies. If you read the original chapters one thru four, you can skip this. You aren't missing anything too special...   
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
Cold. Dark. Raining. And sitting alone atop the highest structure of an abandoned amusement park was Demon First Class, Unlimited, Marller.  
  
Marller loathed the Earth Plane. Having a corporeal body restricted her nigh omnipotent powers considerably, but more importantly, it made her mortal. The thought was not a pleasant one, but considering the importance of her new assignment, it was well worth the risks.   
  
The howling of a thousand souls broke the eerie silence of cascading rain.  
  
"Patience, Agony." Marller cooed her twice damned bladed battleaxe into reassurance. It had been days since the demonic weapon drank the blood of an innocent, and longed in ravenous thirst.  
  
"I promise you the soul of a human touched by a Goddess. Soon your voice shall wail with a thousand and one."  
  
A grim smile creased Marller's dark beauty.  
  
"But first we wait for his guardian to be. I have... unfinished business with her..."  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Morisato Keiichi cursed whomever's gods were listening. It never failed to pour when he walked to the junkyards, and tonight was especially drowning.  
  
Turning down a shadowy alley for a shortcut, he double-checked his worn trench coat for his firearms: Keima and Takano. They were custom built by Keiichi himself, and temperamental in the hands of anyone else, save perhaps his younger sister, Megumi.  
  
Megumi. She was home alone.  
  
Keiichi changed his pace from a brisk walk to a moderate jog. Japan became a dangerous place after the Third World War. Yet one of the greatest postwar horrors, the dramatic decrease in the birth of baby girls, made it perilous to be female. In her defense, Megumi was quick and resourceful, but she had grown severely ill the last several days. Keiichi shuttered at the thought of their home being broken into, and hurried as fast as his legs could carry him.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Unlimited, emerged from a cracked bedroom mirror. Her unlit surroundings immediately conveying she was still too early for her 'counseling session.' Taking full measure of the room, Belldandy smiled as she realized whom she would meet in a matter of minutes: the one who saved her life as a child; the one who won her heart from that moment on.  
  
Gripping the hilts of her dual holy swords, Compassion and Mercy, in the decorative scabbards that held them, Belldandy strengthened her resolve. She would not lose his soul to whomever Hell sent to challenge Heaven's claim - she could not lose his soul.  
  
And for the first time in her life, Belldandy knew she would kill to keep it for herself...  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Keiichi slowly slid open the door, careful in avoiding activation of the house alarms. House. Calling their 'hole in the wall' an actual home was only wishful thinking. It was more akin to a hovel than a house. Nonetheless, the place didn't leak, was warm in the winter, and easy to defend, so there wasn't too much he or his sister could complain about.  
  
Walking past Megumi's room, Keiichi looked inside to ensure she was all right. Though her breathing was congested, it signified she was alive, and the soothing medicine incense burned strongly. Megumi coughed lightly several times before turning over. Keiichi could only smile. She was strong, that was for sure.  
  
A split moment before entering his own room, Keiichi caught the faint scent of gentle perfume. Instinct instantly took over as he drew his guns in one fluid motion, taking an offensive stance in the door's wooden frame to make use of it as a barrier against an attack. Megumi never wore perfume.  
  
In less than a second his adrenaline boosted senses adjusted to the darkness, training his hands upon the humanoid figure sitting at the base of his sleeping mat. The figure slowly looked up at him.  
  
"Good evening, Morisato Keiichi~san."  
  
The woman's voice had the sound of an angel, almost luring Keiichi into a sense of false security. The fact that the stranger knew his name however, drew him back into reality.  
  
"Who the hell are you, how do you know my name, and why shouldn't I send you six feet under?"  
  
The figure remained silent, as if seriously pondering the series of questions he threw at her. Without moving in the slightest, she answered back in the same alluring tone.  
  
"I'm Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Unlimited. I know your name because Yggdrasil has a record of you on file. But why would you want to send me six feet under?"  
  
Keiichi considered firing a warning shot across the stranger for playing ridiculous games, but decided against it at the last second. Gunfire would wake and startle Megumi. Keeping one gun trained on his target, Keiichi slowly moved his second hand along the wall to turn the dial controlling the gas lamp that lit the room. He did so slowly to keep his vision adjusted.  
  
And the most beautiful woman he ever saw stared back at him with piercing deep blue eyes. She smiled before continuing, realizing that Keiichi was too stunned in answering her inquiry.  
  
"I've been sent from the Relief Goddess Office to grant you anything your heart desires, but I can only grant you one wish." For emphasis, she raised one finger before her.  
  
Keiichi stood motionless for nearly a full minute, processing everything he saw and heard. Almost as suddenly as he initially drew them, Keiichi returned his guns to the hidden holsters within his coat. Then he laughed.  
  
Belldandy's cheerful expression changed into curiosity.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
Keiichi couldn't control himself. It never dawned on him that Tamiya and Ootaki were so desperate to keep his services exclusive.  
  
"I get it," Keiichi tried his best to suppress the laughter, "you were sent by the Nakomi Gang. How much did they pay you? For a woman of your beauty, it must have been incredibly expensive!"  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Belldandy was seriously confused. She had no idea of whom Keiichi~san spoke of or what he implied she was hired for. It would have been so much easier to read his mind with her powers, but such action would be rude. Instead, she patiently waited until he stopped laughing, and then proceeded to ask him for the answer.  
  
"I don't understand. I wasn't hired by anyone."  
  
Keiichi~san stared at her for a moment, as if she was insane, then changed back to his normal outgoing expression.  
  
"Look. Belldandy was it? You can go back and tell Tamiya and Ootaki that I'm not going to lease my services to any rival gangs. The Nakomi have done a lot for Megumi and me, and I'm not about to turn my back on them now. I renew the agreement. I still work for Nakomi and only Nakomi. You can go home; I'm not interested."   
  
Slowly, Belldandy returned to her feet, considering how to continue the meeting. Things had grown more chaotic than she anticipated; but perhaps more importantly, Belldandy knew Keiichi~san didn't remember her. The truth of the situation tore her apart. Holding back her emotions, hiding behind a shield of false happiness, Belldandy focused on completing her mission: to win Keiichi~san's soul. Perhaps in Heaven he would remember. Belldandy could only pray.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"I am a Goddess."  
  
Keiichi silently watched as the exquisite vision of a woman lifted herself up. Looking her over, he saw that she was dressed in an intricate gown of blue and white, and wore two angelic styled swords at her side. Was she some kind of sadist? It would fit Tamiya's eccentric sense of humor. Her hair was a shimmering light brown, and her features betrayed European decent, yet the three bluish-purple tattoo markings on her face suggested Indian upbringing.  
  
She was a goddess Keiichi spoke to himself.  
  
A thought then crossed Keiichi's mind. What harm would it do to play the woman's game for a second more? Why not just humor the both of them?  
  
"Alright then," Keiichi grinned mischievously, "I'm ready to make my wish."  
  
Belldandy's expression lit in delight.  
  
"I wish a girl like you would be my girlfriend forever!"  
  
Blinking in surprise, Belldandy took a few steps backward. Her expression grew distant for a moment, and then her back arched suddenly and a brilliant beam of light shot out of the tattoo in her forehead.  
  
Keiichi was bewildered. It didn't help that the woman was now floating two feet in the air, and his things were spinning around the room. He decided that at this point, it would be in his best interest to pass out.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Marller witnessed a blue pillar of light shine from the surface and pierce into the Heavens. She knowingly smiled as her infernal battleaxe cried out in starvation.  
  
"Now we go, Agony. With her power exhausted from granting his wish, Belldandy won't be a threat anymore..." The demon chucked menacingly as she floated into the air, "... and knowing her, she won't collect his soul until after the wish is granted."

Her data link with Yggdrasil complete; Belldandy eased herself back to the ground. Granting wishes took a tremendous toll on a Goddess, and she felt a rush of weakness surge through her body as she touched the wooden floor. She would need to rest soon.  
  
Belldandy suddenly opened her eyes as she caught the sound of a gun being armed.  
  
"Kei-chan! What have you done to Kei-chan!?"  
  
Standing in the doorway was a trembling, ill woman who bore many striking resemblances to Keiichi~san. In her hands was heavy, large caliber handgun; a weapon she was struggling to keep from dropping in her delirium.  
  
Belldandy noticed that Keiichi~san was now unconscious, resting against the wall. The young woman, whom Belldandy assumed was his sister, gently squeezed her firearm's trigger, slowly drawing the firing hammer into its deadly position.  
  
"Oh my! He must have fainted. I can help him if..."  
  
"Faint? Faint from what? You? Bullshit! Tell me what you did to him, or by the gods I swear it, you'll have worms eating your intestines before the night is over!" For emphasis, the girl pointed her gun closer to Belldandy's head.   
  
Then there was a deafening explosion.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Marller laughed maniacally as she unleashed a blast of demonic lightening at the sorry excuse for a hovel her 'future client' dwelled in. Belldandy and the boy were inside, but perhaps more importantly, so was Megumi. Clutching Agony in her right hand, Marller floated through the gaping hole she was responsible for, keeping her senses alert for surprises. It took no effort in finding the targets; they were all collected directly in front of her.  
  
"Belldandy! I, Marller, declare the souls of Morisato Keiichi and Morisato Megumi for Hell. Whatever contract you've made shall be annulled. You may withdraw without bloodshed, but only if you relinquish Heaven's claim willingly. Failure to do so will result in... a difficult situation."  
  
As the dust settled, Marller allowed herself a grin of pride. She knew Belldandy couldn't sense her approach after using so much power in granting Keiichi's wish. It was an ingenuous plan. Mistress Hild would be proud.  
  
The sense of self-gratification ended when she saw Belldandy prone body on the ground. What was the point in gloating if the other party wasn't listening?  
  
"Oy! Belldandy! Are you awake?"  
  
Marller slowly floated over Belldandy, unleashing a blast of energy into her body. Nothing.  
  
"Damn. I suppose that means you die without seeing the face of your executioner. A shame. But perhaps I'll get some satisfaction from telling Urd about your pathetic death."  
  
Marller swiftly heaved her battleaxe above her head, the weapon already trembling with delight in her hands.  
  
"Drink well, Agony! For tonight you feast!"  
  
The one thousand souls of Agony screamed in unison as the weapon arced towards Belldandy, relishing that another would soon join them. The howling shriek shifted to one of hatred and frustration as a rapid series of impacts against the flat of its blade shifted the fatal course onto the wooden floor next to the Goddess; chunks of timber flying in all directions. Agony had been denied.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"No one is killing anyone in my house but me."  
  
Keiichi slowly lifted himself from the ground, suddenly awoken just seconds ago by a crack of deafening thunder.  
  
Keima and Takano were in his hands, their twin barrels smoking, having unleashed a barrage of shells against the intricate bladed museum piece in the newly arrived stranger's possession.  
  
Before Keiichi could blink, the woman lunged towards him with revulsion in her eyes, swinging her weapon towards his head. Keiichi heard the voice of hundreds damn his name, barely dropping to his knees in time to avoid the lethal swing. Was it the axe?  
  
Giving into his instincts, Keiichi released the anger of Keima and Takano towards the ceiling of his ruined home, never removing his eyes from the stranger. The gunfire produced an avalanche of debris to cascade atop the opponent's head; distracting her sufficiently enough to allow Keiichi movement into a better position.  
  
Now on his feet, Keiichi ran towards the wall, using the momentum to 'walk' against it. His new vantage point gave him a clear shot at the woman's hands, upon which he rained a hail of bullets with pinpoint accuracy.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
Landing on the ground, Keiichi noticed the stranger sneering before swinging her weapon towards his trunk, obviously detesting his seemingly futile effort in stopping her. But Keiichi had her full attention, and that was the most important thing on his mind at the moment. Switching his fighting stance into a defensive crouch, the battleaxe scarcely whistled over his head, taking several blades of hair with it.  
  
Reloading Keima and Takano with fresh clips on ammunition from his coat pockets, Keiichi took advantage of his opponent's break in momentum, placing himself body against body, his arms propped under hers. The woman was stunned in sudden surprise.  
  
She was beautiful in a sinister way. Exceptionally beautiful.  
  
Before she broke out of her confusion, Keiichi bent his arms towards the ceiling while twisting his wrists back to aim his guns against the base of the woman's neck, then fired a set of uranium depleted shells. As Keiichi expected, her head didn't explode in a cloud of skull and brain matter, but it reeled forward in an awkward position that should have broke her neck. Instead she only screamed and dropped her massive weapon.  
  
She could feel pain.   
  
Forming a new plan of action in his head, Keiichi spun around the stranger as if was a rooted tree, dodging her sloppy attempt at grappling him, then took a step forward, turned around, and unleashed another set of rounds at the woman's spinal column. She fell straight to the ground.  
  
Taking another look around the room, he noted that Megumi and Belldandy were absent.  
  
He was ready.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Marller cursed herself for underestimating the mortal who evaded her with frightening ease. Not only was he agile, he handled human weapons with enviable mastery. More importantly: his attacks hurt. He knew exactly where to hit.  
  
Struggling from the ground, Marller reached out to grasp Agony in her hands, then decided to take the fight to the next level: she would see how he measured against a flying target. The enraged demon turned to face her opponent.  
  
He was smiling...  
  
Marller immediately scanned the room around her and noted that Belldandy was gone. Megumi.  
  
Turning back, Marller caught Keiichi standing before the entrance she made. He lifted one of his guns towards the roof and squeezed the trigger.  
  
In a moment of panic, the demon raised her eyes to see what Keiichi was casually aiming for. Her eyes widened as she saw it: a gas lamp. How stupid could she have been!  
  
Before becoming engulfed in a blaze of fire, Marller heard Agony scream in maddening hunger.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
The explosion emanating from her home threw Megumi forward. Or rather, what used to be her home; the lean-to was nothing more than a burning collection of lumber and cinders.  
  
Kei-chan!  
  
With every remaining ounce of strength in her ill stricken body, Megumi fought to remain wake, using the cold rain as a medium of focus. She turned her head slightly to her right, seeing the unmoving body of the woman barely dragged with her.  
  
'Why did I bother to save her?' Megumi's thoughts went unanswered. 'I should have stayed and helped Kei-chan.'  
  
Megumi slowly lifted herself from the ground, shaking from the chill of the weather and her sickness. She crawled forward to reach her gun, then after seeing it was unharmed, grasped it in her right hand.  
  
Suddenly, the world went spinning - she was losing her battle to remaining conscious. Tears gradually swelled in Megumi's eyes: tears of anger against her self-weakness, and tears of fright for the unknown condition of her brother. Before collapsing back upon the ground, Megumi whispered an apology to her brother.  
  
Then everything went black.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Marller emerged from the burning wreckage that surrounded her. Though the gas explosion didn't kill the demon, nor leave any permanent damage, it was painful. Excruciatingly painful. Yet when she saw how the troublesome Keiichi fared, her pains became muffled by childish glee.  
  
The boy was still alive, but covered in burns and his own blood. While he was spared from the worst of the explosion by being thrown out the broken wall Marller had produced earlier, Keiichi was only mortal, and suffered from severe injuries.  
  
Slowly floating towards Keiichi, with Agongy wailing angrily in her hand, Marller grinned with certain satisfaction. He was awake to witness his own death.  
  
"Its over boy. I must admit, never has any human given me so much trouble, and for that honor I shall reward you personally."  
  
Marller levitated Keiichi's broken body into a semi-standing position, his feet hovering several inches above the ground. He groaned in excruciating pain as the demon squeezed his injured form, recognizing the internal bleeding and shattered bones that caused them.  
  
"At first, I was going to give your soul to Agony..." Marller smiled as she heard her sentient weapon scream in naked rage, realizing its master had new plans for the mortal, "...but now I'm going to devour it for myself."  
  
Keiichi screamed as Marller began to rip his soul from its mortal shell; the physical manifestation of which appeared as nothing more than bluish glowing smoke. The wisps of soul-smoke turned away from the demon, attempting to return to the body it belonged within, but were gradually drawn into the tattoo like emblems on her forehead.  
  
Marller gasped in reveled ecstasy. Never had she tasted a soul so sweet or pure...  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Belldandy did more than hear Keiichi~san's scream: she felt it. Instantly revived from her coma state, Belldandy threw herself to her feet, withdrawing Compassion and Mercy from their scabbards. Though far from completely recovered, Belldandy felt a surge of second wind rush through her body, and flew as fast as she could muster to her beloved Keiichi~san.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"NO!"  
  
A blast of kinetic energy knocked Keiichi from Marller's grasp as she heard a familiar voice scream in horror.  
  
"How much!? How much of his soul did you take!? Answer me! How much!?"  
  
Marller turned her attention to the Goddess who so defiantly took away her prize. Never had she seen Belldandy so emotional for a client before.  
  
"Only a sample, Belldandy. It was so incredibly delightful; I couldn't but help and savor every moment. I've never tasted anything so delicious."  
  
The demon drew into an offensive stance as she noticed Belldandy doing the same. Marller was taken aback as tears formed in the Goddess's eyes; exactly what was the relationship between her and Keiichi?  
  
"Give it back! Give back what you took! Heaven help me! GIVE IT BACK NOW!"  
  
Belldandy flew towards Marller with frightening speed, an assault that almost caught the demon unaware. Belldandy never attacked first.  
  
Dodging the Goddess's lunge, Marller maneuvered herself away from Compassion and Mercy with the barest degree of success. Although Agony was a larger and heavier weapon, the fact remained that Belldandy wielded two blades, which gave her the advantage of more attacks in a shorter span of time.  
  
Belldandy spun to meet her opponent's counterattack with perfect grace, swords crossed in an "X" technique that caught the battleaxe before it could cleave her in two. Repulsing the failed assault, the Goddess proceeded to twist her body in a motion that forced Marller into guiding her weapon towards the ground. Compassion drifted downwards with Agony, but not Mercy.  
  
Marller flew back, releasing her grip of Agony simultaneously, to avoid Mercy's deadly arc. Now weaponless, the demon formed a sphere of energy within her hands, launching the blast of infernal lightning towards Belldandy. Upon seeing the Goddess leap back from the ranged assault, Marller dove forward, grasping Agony's hilt, hoping to use the momentum in keeping her opponent off guard.  
  
Illuminate white feathers fluttered around Marller. Holy Bell.  
  
A searing flash of light swiped the demon, throwing her aside like a proverbial rag doll. Belldandy had never used Holy Bell against her before. Regaining balance in mid-flight, Marller shifted into the sky, hoping the Goddess would follow in pursuit. Tasting the blood in her mouth, the demon knew she couldn't afford more mistakes or surprises.   
  
Belldandy surged towards her target with alarming velocity, swords held in a cross formation, Holy Bell extending around her. Stopping only a handful of feet away from the demon, she lifted both blades above her head, then drove them towards the ground. A shockwave of white energy was created in the wake of that motion, hurling towards the demon at incredible speeds. Unable to dodge an attack so fast, Marller could only erect a barrier to halt the blast before her; the force of which threw her back in tremendous pain. She was losing.  
  
"GIVE BACK KEIICHI~SAN HIS SOUL!"  
  
Marller halted her hurtling and drifted towards the ground with a wobbling decent. As the demon's vision cleared, she noticed Belldandy matching her approach face to face. It took another second before she could hear what Belldandy was saying. It was a familiar chant: the Mantra of Unsealing. It suddenly dawned upon Marller that Belldandy was breaking her Limiter! Was she insane? What did Keiichi mean to her? Why was something like this happening?  
  
For several seconds, Marller considered mimicking Belldandy's efforts, but then decided against it. The Goddess was too far ahead; she would never catch up in time.  
  
Then a desperate idea crawled into the demon's mind.  
  
Turning her back towards Belldandy, Marller held Agony to her side, readying her own version of Belldandy's ranged technique. Then, instead of aiming for the Goddess, threw a blast towards the location of Keiichi's unmoving body.   
  
Belldandy watched in horror as a curve of blood red energy hurdled towards Keiichi. Without a second of hesitation, she stopped her chanting and flew at incredible speeds towards the ground, out racing the demon's attack a mere blink before it reached its intended target. Lacking the time to create a defensive barrier, Belldandy threw herself before the blast.  
  
The Goddess fell.  
  
Weakened, exhausted, and defeated, Marller did the same.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Marller awoke to the sound of a man screaming in anguish. She found herself lying on her back, strapped to a bed with crudely knotted ropes. Her head not quite as restricted, she made a quick scan of the room: it was hers.  
  
"Konban-wa! Marller-sama, Senbei takes it you had a wild night, ne?"  
  
Floating into her field of vision was a male who stood three inches high, clothed in loose fitting black leather, with long golden hair.  
  
"Senbei, untie me this instant or I'll gut you alive!"  
  
Senbei smiled impishly.   
  
"Honto ni? Demo, Senbei though you were into this kind of thing, Marller-sama, being an Akurei and all."  
  
Marller growled vindictively at her 'partner.' Seeing that she was genuinely growing irritated, Senbei proceed in untying the ropes he made; although at a pace to give the demon a chance to cool off.  
  
"Where are Belldandy and the Morisato siblings?"  
  
Stopping from his work, Senbei floated back into Marller's vision.  
  
"Gomen. Senbei didn't have enough time to grab them too."  
  
The demon screamed in rage.  
  
"What do you mean, 'enough time!?' At least three of us were unconscious, and the girl was sick!"  
  
Senbei slowly drifted in a motion than spun him upside-down.  
  
"Ja, once Senbei got to the site of your chiisai scuffle, an army of minikui looking men was showing up. Senbei is not like Marller-sama; Senbei can be harmed by human weapons. Anata is lucky Senbei rescued her and brought Agony-kun along as well. Marller-sama karui ja nai desu ne?"  
  
For several long minutes, Marller proceeded to hurl severe curses at Senbei, each profane word causing him to retie the knots he previously had undone.  
  
"Where the hell were you anyways!? I could have used your help with the humans!"  
  
"Senbei has more things to do that wait hand and foot on Marller-sama."  
  
Marller calmed herself long enough to consider those words.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
A gargling scream, identical to the one that woke her, broke the silence. It was a scream the demon was most familiar with: one that could only be made if blood was drowning the throat.  
  
Senbei smiled as he sat on the ropes around Marller's chest.  
  
"Yare-yare. Making others unhappy, so Senbei can be happy."  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Belldandy gently pushed away the wool sheets placed over her. Though her head and body ached from pain, she possessed enough strength to stand, searching the candlelit room as she did.  
  
Keiichi~san!  
  
With renewed vigor, Belldandy focused her eyesight to adjust in the darkness, quickly finding the door out. Rushing to it, she attempted to turn the knob, only to discover it was locked.  
  
Belldandy closed her eyes, reaching for the spirit of the locks, and convinced them she meant no harm to the occupants of the home it was guarding. After a hesitant moment, the locks released their hold, and allowed the Goddess to exit. Belldandy whispered words of thanks before continuing.  
  
Easing into the connecting passage, Belldandy noticed a half closed wooden door before her. Sensing a familiar but weakening aura, she cautiously pushed it open, and saw its source: Keiichi~san! Belldandy flew to his side, tenderly clutching his hands. He laid dying in a western-styled bed.  
  
Tears streamed down the Goddess's cheeks, her mind lost in panic. It was her fault she thought: if only she hadn't fell unconscious after Marller's entrance; if only she had awoken before Marller stole a portion of his soul; if only she evacuated his body prior to her battle with the demon. So many mistakes...  
  
Taking a breath of air to calm her nerves, Belldandy placed a hand over Keiichi's body, calling for a restoration spell she long remembered. It was a dangerous incantation, one that required a fraction of a Goddess's own life force to work properly, but Belldandy cared nothing for the risks: only Keiichi~san.  
  
Bleeding stopped, bones knitted, burns vanished. The spell complete, Belldandy looked over her beloved Keiichi~san. He would live. Her expression of relief changed to sadness when she sensed the void in his soul; the portion that Marller stole. In spite of her near limitless power, there was nothing the Goddess could do to restore that: perhaps even Kamisama himself.  
  
Kneeling and resting her head against Keiichi~san's chest, Belldandy quietly swore she would find Marller and retrieve his soul. The Goddess closed her eyes; with Keiichi~san next to her, she felt an inexpressible sense of security. After all these years, she was with him.  
  
'Forever,' he wished. 'Forever.'  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
The crash of a metal tray unto a wooden floor awoke Keiichi from his slumber. Turning his head towards the sound, he saw Chihiro gapping with her mouth open. He then noticed a weighted object lying against his chest. After adjusting his neck to identify it, he immediately lost all train of thought: it was Belldandy.  
  
"How? You were dying! I mean, you're alive now, but just a few hours ago..." Chihiro stood in complete shock, "...and how did she get out? That door was tripled locked!"  
  
Keiichi smiled. So it wasn't a dream. He really did make that wish. She truly was a Goddess.  
  
Megumi.  
  
"Chihiro-san! Megumi? Where's Megumi?"  
  
Chihiro didn't budge. She didn't move. It was as if she was looking at a ghost.  
  
"She... her fever broke this morning... She'll be, okay."  
  
Slowly yet steadily, Chihiro was regaining her lost composure. Keiichi didn't blame her. From what he heard, and how he felt just hours before, she was taking his miraculous recovery well.  
  
A new question entered Keiichi's mind.  
  
"How did I get here?"  
  
"One of the Nakomi assigned to watch your house from rival gangs saw a huge explosion. When help got there, they found the three of you strewn around the place. Tamiya immediately had you brought to the safehouse. I changed that girl's clothes into something dry, put Megumi in my bed, and dressed your wounds as best I could."  
  
Keiichi processed her statement word by word. Only three. What of the demon girl? He decided to not press the matter further, Chihiro had been through enough already, and mentioning that he fought a soul-sucking creature - to say nothing of the Goddess sleeping on him - wouldn't make things better.  
  
Chihiro pointed towards Belldandy.  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
Taking another effort to look at the Goddess, Keiichi heard her whisper mumblings. She was dreaming. He briefly wondered what Goddesses dreamed of.  
  
"My... I suppose she's..." Keiichi turned red at the thought, "...my girlfriend... She's my girlfriend."  
  
And Belldandy continued to smile.  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
**[ end of chapter one ]**  
  
**CD Music Listened To While Writing Chapter:** Guilty Gear XX: The Midnight Carnival - Discs One & Two  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
**What follows is the Senbei dialog in full English:**  
  
  
Marller awoke to the sound of a man screaming in anguish. She found herself lying on her back, strapped to a bed with crudely knotted ropes. Her head not quite as restricted, she made a quick scan of the room: it was hers.  
  
"Good evening! Lady Marller, Senbei takes it you had a wild night, huh?"  
  
Floating into her field of vision was a male who stood three inches high, clothed in loose fitting black leather, with long golden hair.  
  
"Senbei, untie me this instant or I'll gut you alive!"  
  
Senbei smiled impishly.   
  
"Really? But, Senbei though you were into this kind of thing, Lady Marller, being a Demon and all."  
  
Marller growled vindictively at her 'partner.' Seeing that she was genuinely growing irritated, Senbei proceed in untying the ropes he made; although at a pace to give the demon a chance to cool off.  
  
"Where are Belldandy and the Morisato siblings?"  
  
Stopping from his work, Senbei floated back into Marller's vision.  
  
"Sorry. Senbei didn't have enough time to grab them too."  
  
The demon screamed in rage.  
  
"What do you mean, 'enough time!?' At least three of us were unconscious, and the girl was sick!"  
  
Senbei slowly drifted in a motion than spun him upside-down.  
  
"Well, once I got to the site of your little scuffle, an army of ugly looking men was showing up. Senbei is not like Lady Marller; Senbei can be harmed by human weapons. You're lucky Senbei rescued her and brought Agony along as well. Lady Marller is not light, isn't she?"  
  
For several long minutes, Marller proceeded to hurl severe curses at Senbei, each profane word causing him to retie the knots he previously had undone.  
  
"Where the hell were you anyways!? I could have used your help with the humans!"  
  
"Senbei has more things to do that wait hand and foot on Lady Marller."  
  
Marller calmed herself long enough to consider those words.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
A gargling scream, identical to the one that woke her, broke the silence. It was a scream the demon was most familiar with: one that could only be made if blood was drowning the throat.  
  
Senbei smiled as he sat on the ropes around Marller's chest.  
  
"Same 'ole, same 'ole. Making others unhappy, so Senbei can be happy."


	3. Chapter Two: Snakes in the Garden

**Title:** Warrior Goddess Belldandy  
**Author:** Gunner (admin@elizar.com)  
**Basis:** Ah! My Goddess, Warrior Nun Areala  
**Protagonist(s):** Keiichi, Megumi, Belldandy, Shiho, Chihiro, Hasegawa, Chrono, Ex, Era  
**Antagonist(s):** Marller, Senbei, Welpser  
**Synopsis:** A much darker alternate reality to the AMG universe.  
**Setup:** World War III occurred twenty years ago, and the planet is littered with apocalyptic cities and marauding gangs. Rather than being a college student studying technology and skilled with vehicles, Keiichi Morisato is a master craftsman gunsmith skilled in gunplay. Perhaps even more altering: Heaven and Hell are actively at war, long abandoning the "Doublet System" that prevented open conflict. And like all wars between deities: it's not a conquest of territories, but of souls...  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
**Chapter Notes:** Major alterations. Gone is the Urd introduction. I thought about it for awhile and concluded that its too early to start introducing her. That's why it was so shoddy the first time: I was in such a rush to throw her in. Another subtle but important change: Tayima and Ootaki don't die at the hands of Marller and Senbei. All I needed to do was remove the one sentence that stated it happened. Why? I've got a better plan for the pair. Last but not least, I'm introducing one of my favorite minor characters from the manga, and this individual delays the entry of Urd and Skuld. You get one hint: Belldandy didn't like the person for getting too near Keiichi.  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
_   You know her...  
  
   Who?  
  
   Belldandy...  
  
   Of course I know her: she's my girlfriend.  
  
   From your childhood...  
  
   My childhood?  
  
   She's not what she seems...  
  
   What are you talking about?  
  
   Belldandy...  
  
   Who are you?  
  
   You...  
  
   Me?  
  
   The part you've lost...  
  
   My soul?  
  
   Your innocence..._  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   The same dream... Every night, the same damn dream...  
  
   It had been three months since Belldandy showed Keiichi and Megumi the location of an out-of-the-way temple they could use for their new home. To be honest, Keiichi was surprised the place wasn't already occupied, given that anything and anywhere was used for shelter. Nonetheless, Keiichi never complained about a free offer and was very grateful to Belldandy for her assistance.  
  
   That's when the dreams began.  
  
   "Keiichi~san?"  
  
   Keiichi, Megumi, and Belldandy were all seated in the family room of the temple, eating an always delicious breakfast Belldandy had prepared: or at the very least, Megumi was. Belldandy never seemed to eat anything except for an occasion piece of delicate chocolate, which didn't seem unusual, her being a Goddess.  
  
   Keiichi however...  
  
   "Keiichi~san?"  
  
   What was going on? What did it mean? Why did it happen every night? Why did he always ask the same questions? Was it Marller? Was it self-doubt?  
  
   "Keiichi~san, please speak to me. Is something wrong?"   
  
   For the first time since sitting at the meal table, Keiichi looked up and noticed Belldandy staring intently at him. She wore a conventional light-blue dress, the length of which almost touched the ground when she stood. It revealed nothing, and was of the simplest designs, yet enhanced her beauty in ways words could not describe. Keiichi once commented it was his favorite, and Belldandy wore it as often as she could because of that.  
  
   She always sat to the right of him; just like he always had that dream. Could that be part of the answer?  
  
   Keiichi turned to his left and now noticed that Megumi had stopped eating her bowl of rice. She was still dressed in her pajamas - the set he gave for a birthday gift.  
  
   Was there a connection? A favorite dress? A birthday gift?  
  
   He could see his own reflection her eyes and the twinge of concern entering her soul. Her soul. His soul. What was Marller doing to his soul? What did demons do with a human's soul?  
  
   "Kei-chan, you're freaking me out. Say something."  
  
   Say something. That's what he's always tried to do in that dream: say something. But what? What was the question he could never ask? Why did Belldandy always wake him before he could? Was that part of the answer? Was she responsible for the questions? How was she connected to the dreams?  
  
   His childhood. His lost soul. His lost innocence. She's not what she seems.   
  
   Belldandy. He loved her. More than his own soul and innocence.  
  
   Keiichi felt a sudden sense of lightheadedness and his vision immediately became blurred. He heard Belldandy scream his name. He heard Megumi crying. He heard the word blood. And then he heard no more.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
_   You know her...  
  
   Who?  
  
   Belldandy...  
  
   Of course I know her: she's my girlfriend.  
  
   From your childhood...  
  
   My childhood?  
  
   She's not what she seems...  
  
   What are you talking about?  
  
   Belldandy...  
  
   Who are you?  
  
   You...  
  
   Me?  
  
   The part you've lost...  
  
   My soul?  
  
   Your innocence...  
_  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   Keiichi~san?  
  
   And Keiichi woke.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   A lone figure brushed its hand against a crumbling cinderblock, watching as the stone material eroded into gritty particles with an effortless touch.  
  
   Someone lived here only months ago.  
  
   Maneuvering around the now forgotten concrete cube, the individual picked up a charred painting of two people standing together in front of a fanciful water fountain: siblings from the looks of them. Tossing the portrait aside, the stranger crouched to the ground and noticed the shattered glass of a mirror scattered about. Several shards were twisted from intense heat; perhaps from the fire that created the surround ruin.   
  
   There was something strange about the fragments... something the person was seeking... something supernatural.  
  
   Turning around and retrieving the previously discarded canvas, the figure smiled knowingly. They would know the answers to her questions, whether they knew it or not...  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   Marller softly sat in a chair made of plush faux leather; the surrounding warehouse dripping in sickly suffocating moisture, watching as the morning sun reached into its afternoon zenith. The demon ran her unrestricted hand through the bulk of her soaking hair, elegantly licking the viscous liquid that permeated her hands from the act.  
  
   Blood.  
  
   "Sekushi! Moo sekushi, Marller-sama!"  
  
   Senbei lifted himself from the red-caked uncarpeted cement floor, generating a nauseous peeling sound. His facial expressions betrayed the intoxicating sense of happiness he was feeling. The genie made several attempts to stand, but each time fell flat on his back like a drunken fool. After his third and final effort, Senbei peacefully giggled as he rolled to his side and eased into slumber.  
  
   Marller found herself chucking from the entertaining show. Luck was defiantly changing in their favor.  
  
   For the first time in weeks, the voice of Agony was silenced in satisfaction. The weapon teased, drank, and gorged upon the souls of dozens. The double bladed battleaxe rested wholesomely; the uppermost portion of its hilt whimsically held in its master's hand, the head of the weapon rocking soothingly upon the ground, producing a rhythmic grinding sound that echoed throughout the room.  
  
   A muffled cry of suffering broke Marller's euphoria.  
  
   Lifting her eyes to its source, the demon was all but shocked to see a victim still conscious. How durable these humans were. What was her name? Hasegawa? The childlike woman's flesh was exposed bare naked, with a gruesome laceration extending from the base of her neck down to her stomach revealing the inner organs that moved with life. Senbei was somehow keeping her alive, using his terrifying powers to turn her misery into his happiness.  
  
   Gently placing Agony on the chair she had risen from, Marller floated across the scores of bodies strewn around her, some still alive, but most long dead. Reaching Hasegawa's prone form, the demon tenderly caressed her dry face: after crying for hours, she had no more tears to shed. Much to Marller's surprise, the mortal woman lasted far longer than the boisterous men of the ramshackle group she and Senbei slaughtered.  
  
   "Hush now my little Hasegawa, very soon, all your suffering will end. You were the one who finally broke and revealed to me where my precious Morisato are, and for that I give you a special gift."  
  
   Hasegawa winched as felt her wounds knit together, the miserable pain numbing away.  
  
   "You get to live. Out of the hundreds I've killed today, you get to live."  
  
   Marller grinned with grim pleasure.  
  
   "May whatever gods you worship have mercy on your soul..."  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   This morning was the fourth time Keiichi had inexplicably fainted in the past three days, and the situation bothered him greatly. Since his encounter with that demon woman, Keiichi found himself suffering from random fainting spells and severe bouts of weakness: it was as if he suffered from anemia. Initially he believed it was a side effect of the near-death experience Belldandy miraculously saved him from, but now Keiichi wasn't so certain. It was as if an important part of him was missing, and the rest of his body couldn't cope with the loss.  
  
   As a general rule, Belldandy and Megumi would never leave Keiichi unsupervised, or if they did, make sure he would stay in one location and not leave until one of them came back. In a small way it annoyed Keiichi to be treated as such, but he knew it was for his own good and really an indication of how much the two cared for him. That didn't make things feel better though...  
  
   A heavy knock on the temple door broke Keiichi out of his deep thoughts.  
  
   "Kei-chan, could you get that? Belldandy is showing me her cooking secrets."  
  
   Keiichi grinned as he suppressed the urge to retort that his sister needed all the cooking tips she could get. Sitting up from his workbench, he grabbed Keima and Takano from their wall mounts, checked to ensure they were still loaded, and strode to the front door. Clearing his throat, he slowly pushed aside the temple sliding entrance.  
  
   The stranger held both his hands unassuming in the air. It was a common greeting between people who didn't know each other; the visiting party proving they held no ill intent or trickery. It didn't help however that the person was wearing a bulky unbuttoned trench and masked in a head wrap.  
  
   Keiichi pointed Keima towards the visitor, but attempted to gesture as non-aggressively as possible.  
  
   "First take off your coat, slowly, then remove your head wrap just as innocent."  
  
   The stranger lowered his arms and did as he was instructed, carefully sliding off the trench without any sudden moves. It was then that Keiichi noticed he wasn't a he at all: it was a woman. After she removed her head wrap, Keiichi couldn't help but notice she was very attractive.  
  
   "May the Lord bless you and those who dwell in your home; my name is Sakakibara Shiho. Are you Mister Morisato?"  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   Chihiro stepped out of the Whirl Wind storage room carrying a chestnut case in her arms. Carefully placing the beautifully lacquered box on a glass display, she produced a key from her rear trouser pocket and proceeded to unlock the antique latch that kept its contents sealed.  
  
   Hasegawa's unimpressed frown upset Chihiro.  
  
   "Now you have to understand Sora-chan: Keima and Takano are two of three one-of-a-kind handguns. The only ones who could identically recreate them are Keiichi-kun, but that doesn't mean he's the only one who can craft weapons of superior quality."  
  
   Lifting the case lid, she gently removed a red silk cloth and unveiled a matching set of silver chrome firearms, then proudly slid the box towards Hasegawa.  
  
   "These two are of equal caliber to the first chambers of the Morisato weapons, but since are single barrel, possess greater range, more ammo capacity, and better stability. Of course being one of my designs, they have no trigger guard and safety, so your client has to be careful in not shooting off his own feet."  
  
   Hasegawa grazed her fingers across the custom firearms before lifting the set into her hands.  
  
   "Greater range you say?"  
  
   Chihiro chuckled to herself.  
  
   "You sound as if you're planning to gunfight Keiichi-kun."  
  
   "And if I was?"  
  
   "They would give you a slight advantage in terms of range and penetration power, but Keiichi-kun's guns can throw out more rounds, given the second chambers fire 9mm burst rounds. Not to mention that you'd be dealing with the legendary gunslinger himself."  
  
   With an unreadable expression, Hasegawa returned the twin handguns to their resting beds and leisurely closed the lid.  
  
   "I'll take them. Tayima-sempai and Ootaki-sempai will schedule reimbursement as normal."  
  
   Clutching the box and placing it her under arms, Hasegawa abruptly headed out the Whirl Wind, leaving a slightly bewildered Chihiro running dozens of questions through her mind; one of which she couldn't leave unanswered.  
  
   "Sora-chan, who am I selling those guns to?"  
  
   Hasegawa stopped before stepping through the shop entrance and adjusted her glasses.  
  
   "Me."  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   Belldandy silently listened as Keiichi~san and the newcomer, Sakakibara Shiho, traded stories. The young woman seemed entranced by his gun fighting exploits, and Keiichi~san was very interested of her accounts about the distant regions of Japan he never visited. Too entranced Belldanady thought. She laughed at his jokes and repeatedly praised moments he downplayed his feats.  
  
   "Would you two like anything for desert? I still have the cake from this morning."  
  
   Keiichi~san looked up and nodded in negative to Belldandy's offer, as did his new friend.  
  
   A sound of shattering glass broke the ambiance.  
  
   "What was that?"  
  
   Keiichi~san lunged to his feet as Megumi-san rushed from out the kitchen, holding a set of kitchen knives she was in the middle of washing in one hand, their blades grasped between the knuckles of her soaking fingers.  
  
   Shiho-san simply eyed Belldandy suspiciously; a perceptive look that bothered the Goddess.  
  
   "Morisato-sama? If you don't mind me asking; how did you and Belldandy first meet?"  
  
   Keiichi~san abruptly turned around, his face suddenly filled with an embarrassing shock.  
  
   "I want to know too Kei-chan! It's like she just appeared out of thin air. Did you meet her while I was delirious, cause I've never saw her before then and you've always had terrible luck with women."  
  
   Keiichi~san nearly vaulted to the floor. Belldandy monitored Shiho-san with greater attention.  
  
   "Ummm... Shiho-san? Megumi? In case you two didn't notice, there might be someone creeping around the temple. Don't you think now isn't a good time to be asking questions like that?"  
  
   Megumi-san placed the knives in her hands on the meal table as she sat down.  
  
   "You're not weaseling your way out of this one that easily. There's no one out there. Probably a badger or something; my intuition is never wrong."  
  
   "You came running out the kitchen like something was wrong."  
  
   "Whatever. Tell us the story or I'll interrogate Belldandy instead."  
  
   Megumi chaotically wiggled her fingers in front of Belldandy's eyes and gave a sinister smile.  
  
   "I bet she wouldn't last thirty seconds under tickle torture."  
  
   Before Keiichi~san could voice another word, Shiho-san abruptly stood and smiled at Belldandy, then turned to Keiichi~san.  
  
   "You don't have to tell me Morisato-sama. I'm very sorry for nosing into your personal affair. God is in His heaven and all is right with the world after all..."  
  
   For the briefest of moments, Belldandy eyed Shiho-san with a look of scorn. She didn't enjoy her company in the least.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   Keiichi unfurled his sleeping bag in the temple passage, picking scraps of lint from its inner lining.  
  
   "Are you sure you'll be alright Keiichi~san?"  
  
   Tonight Keiichi gave his room up to their guest. Chihiro had informed him days prior that the legendary Sakakibara Shiho would be arriving. The reason for her visit still eluded Keiichi however; no one in the Nakomi claimed to have hired her, and she skillfully eluded all questions he presented. She seemed nice enough however, and he didn't want to send her off in the middle of the dangerous night: even if she was skilled mercenary. That didn't mean that he absolutely trusted her however. Sacrificing his room gave a distinct advantage: sleeping in the main hall meant Shiho couldn't wander around in the middle of the night without passing him first.  
  
   "I'll be fine Belldandy. I've slept in far worst conditions. Just ask Megumi."  
  
   Belldandy slightly nodded in reluctant acceptance then strayed into her room.   
  
   Keiichi sighed. It was going to be a long night.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
_   You know her...  
  
   Who?  
  
   Belldandy...  
  
   Of course I know her: she's my girlfriend.  
  
   From your childhood...  
  
   My childhood?  
  
   She's not what she seems...  
  
   What are you talking about?  
  
   Belldandy...  
  
   Who are you?  
  
   You...  
  
   Me?  
  
   The part you've lost...  
  
   My soul?  
  
   Your innocence..._  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   Keiichi awoke to the sound of an unfamiliar giggle as the revelation of his blunder struck him.  
  
   "I fell asleep!?"  
  
   Promptly opening his eyes, he saw Shiho crouching over him, holding a bright burning candle. It was still night.  
  
   "Like a rock. You were supposed to be watching me, eh?"  
  
   It suddenly dawned on Keiichi that he spoke his slip-up aloud. Two mistakes in one night; what else could go wrong? Suddenly Shiho leaned closer, her eyes fixated on his, and for a brief moment, Keiichi turned several shades of red as he thought she was intending to kiss him.  
  
   "Wha? Wait a minute... Shiho-san you can't..."  
  
   "Lord have mercy!"  
  
   Reaching out with her free hand, Shiho wiped one side of Keiichi's face, her hands smearing a sticky substance seeping from his tear ducts. Blood.  
  
   "Morisato-sama, what's wrong with you?  
  
   Not again. This always happened after that damn dream.  
  
   "You've been having strange dreams, haven't you? Dreams of your innocence and your soul?"  
  
   Her words shook Keiichi to the core. She knew. But how? Shiho look of concern inexplicably frightened Keiichi.  
  
   "Please tell me the truth Morisato-sama? For your own salvation: is it Belldandy? Is she the one?"  
  
   "I don't know."  
  
   The words left Keiichi without him thinking. Why did he say that? He shuddered in trepidation. It was like a self-revelation.  
  
   "Keiichi~san?"  
  
   Shiho and Keiichi turned their heads suddenly towards the sound of Belldandy's voice. Keiichi nervously considered how long she stood there.  
  
   "What's going on? Why is Shiho-san out of your room and here with you?"  
  
   Shiho slowly backed away from Keiichi and stood to her full height. She eyed Belldandy with a hint of doubt behind the Goddess's concern.  
  
   "I was thirsty, so I thought I'd get a cup of water from the kitchen storage; but that's not important, Keiichi is bleeding from his eyes."  
  
   Belldandy rushed to Keiichi's side, crouching beside him and verifying Shiho's claim for herself. Seeing that it was true, she immediately began using her conservative nightgown to dab away the staining fluid. As she voiced a multitude of questions and distress, Keiichi thought back on the answer he gave to Shiho. Was she the one? He truly didn't know.  
  
   And as Megumi exited her room in concern, awaken by the commotion in the hall, Shiho only stood in silence.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   Chrono collapsed on her knees, dropping her beautifully crafted short sword, and breathed in rapid, heavy succession. She was so tired of fighting. The layers of blood soaked in her silk vestments marred the young Goddess's cherubic beauty, and fresh blade cuts were scattered across her face.  
  
   Looking over her shoulder, Chrono noted that Era and Ex fared worst, both of them leaning against each other for support. Era had been critically wounded by the last demon she fought, and Ex shattered her weapon after executing a devastating technique to defeat an extraordinarily strong opponent. It was cruel irony that the last of them who could still fight was actually the weakest and least experienced.  
  
   "Lady... Lady Peorth was right. Welsper... is..."  
  
   Chrono shuttered at Era's half finished statement. Welsper. The Laughing Demon. The Goddess Slayer. The thought of facing him brought renewed vigor in the teenage Goddess, and she immediately jumped to her feet.  
  
   "Then what are we waiting for! Let's hurry and get back with the others so we can return to Heaven!"  
  
   Before Era or Ex could respond, the trio caught the sound of a child's dark laughter. It began distant, but quickly moved towards them.  
  
   "Too late my lovely Goddesses..." the frightening voice was now all around them, "too late..."  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
   Marller attentively watched as Hasegawa reentered the bloodstained warehouse the demon and her genie companion decorated in human entrails out of apathy and boredom. The lithe mortal woman carried a wooden box beneath her arms, and Marller smiled in knowing delight. They were now ready to claim what was rightfully hers by conquest.  
  
   Clutching Agony's haft in nervous joy, she began to imagine the lavish rewards Mistress Hild would bestow upon her for such a successful accomplishment. She could hardly wait.  
  
   And this time, she wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating Belldandy.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
**[ end of chapter two ]**  
  
**CD Music Listened To While Writing Chapter:** Gundam Wing Endless Waltz  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
**Senbei's Japanese:** "Sekushi! Moo sekushi, Marller-sama!"  
  
**English Translation:** "Sexy! Really sexy, Lady Marller!"


	4. Chapter Three: First Sin

**Title:** Warrior Goddess Belldandy  
**Basis:** Ah! My Goddess, Warrior Nun Areala  
**Protagonist(s):** Keiichi, Megumi, Belldandy, Peorth  
**Antagonist(s):** Marller, Senbei, Shiho, Hasegawa  
**Synopsis:** A much darker alternate reality to the AMG universe.  
**Setup:** World War III occurred twenty years ago, and the planet is littered with apocalyptic cities and marauding gangs. Rather than being a college student studying technology and skilled with vehicles, Keiichi Morisato is a master craftsman gunsmith skilled in gunplay. Perhaps even more altering: Heaven and Hell are actively at war, long abandoning the "Doublet System" that prevented open conflict. And like all wars between deities: it's not a conquest of territories, but of souls...  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
**Chapter Notes:** This chapter portrays Sakakibara Shiho as a widely stereotypical anime gun-carrying priest. This greatly deviates from the original version of her character; a Shino Exorcist in training. There are two reasons for this: (1) my knowledge of Japanese religion is sketchy at best, and the Shinto faith is an incredibly complex one (often quoted as the religion of a thousand gods); (2) I've been watching too much Hellsing. I'm sorry for this lack of original imagination, and I promise no vampires will show up in this fanfic. It just that me trying to write about a Shinto priestess would read like real crap...  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
Belldandy yawned after placing the finishing touches on the meal she prepared for breakfast. The goddess never left Keiichi~san's side after his midnight ordeal, and she used a vast reserve of her power to mend what she could of his soul. If only he knew how serious his condition was: it would soon reach a point that even her nigh limitless powers couldn't impede. Only forcing Marller to give up what she took would restore Keiichi~san, and Belldandy never dared leaving his presence to search for the demon: each passing hour brought him closer to...  
  
"May God bless you this beautiful morning, Belldandy."  
  
Turning in surprise, Belldandy gazed upon the smiling face of Shiho-san. Why couldn't she sense her presence anymore? The goddess returned her visitor's smile.  
  
"Good... Good morning, Shiho-san," Belldandy felt waves of nausea suddenly surging around her, "how... how can I..."  
  
Shiho-san continued smiling.  
  
"You don't seem well, Belldandy. Is something wrong?"  
  
The goddess opened her mouth to answer, but turned back to the kitchen counter and placed her hands against it for support. Beads of sweat slowly dripped from her brow, and her body shook as feelings of frigidness coursed through it. Shiho-san walked forward, and then leaned against Belldandy; the goddess gasped as a traumatizing tightness seized her heart.  
  
"You're not human, are you?"  
  
Belldandy collapsed to the ground, unable to see or hear the world around her, though she could feel terrible pain enveloping it. It was beyond anything words could describe; so excruciating, the goddess couldn't muster strength to scream.  
  
"But you're not a demon either. A spirit? No. A goddess. The markings suggest so, but I've learned long ago to never trust those tattoos." Shiho-san's use of the word goddess was filled with unhidden contempt.  
  
An unbridled vigor of agony focused itself around Belldandy's skull, as if the pain itself was an instrument probing and experimenting with it.  
  
"Know this, self-proclaimed goddess: my God and I are watching you. If you mean no harm to Morisato-sama, then nothing will occur, but if you are after what I think you are..."  
  
Incredible anguish consumed Belldandy, far greater than anything she had ever felt in her existence. It tore at her flesh and burned her mind.  
  
"...then we shall purify the blaspheme and indignity that you represent. Yours is not the right to trespass that which is His."  
  
As impossible as it seemed, the pain increased several folds over, rending the goddess until she could bear no more, and welcoming the touch of sweet unconscious oblivion.  
  
Shiho turned to leave.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Belldandy awoke to a soothing wet towel being placed on her head. Slowly opening her eyes, the goddess caught sight of anxiety in the eyes of another melting away into relief. It took another long second for her to realize the eyes belonged to her beloved Keiichi~san. Belldandy tried to voice his name, but found herself far too weak. Keiichi~san placed a finger over her lips, weakly smiling in response.  
  
"Don't try to speak. Shiho-san found you unconscious in the kitchen and ran to Megumi and me for help. At first I was suspicious, thinking she might have attacked you or something, but I didn't see any injuries or signs of struggle. Then I felt really bad when I discovered you had a high fever."  
  
Belldandy so dearly tried to shake her head and somehow let Keiichi~san know that Shiho-san was responsible, but barely had the energy to blink her eyes. There was so little Belldandy understood of faiths outside of hers, and now was one of the moments she felt regret in that limitation. All she knew was Shiho-san followed European teachings: something Catholic or Protestant. Whichever it was, the priestess was incredibly well versed in banishments and seals, knowing to strike out when the goddess was at her weakest.  
  
"Morisato-sama. Is Belldandy alright?"  
  
Shiho-san. Belldandy shuttered in hatred and apprehension, fearing what interest the woman had in Keiichi~san, and so dearly wishing she could protect him and herself.  
  
"I believe so. Where's Megumi?"  
  
"In your workshop, assembling firearms. She said something about them being a work order from a person named Chihiro. I tried to help, but I'm sad to admit that my expertise with guns aren't anywhere near hers or yours."  
  
Keiichi~san smiled at Shiho-san, bringing a bitter presence in Belldandy's heart. He saw something in her. The goddess didn't need divine powers to see that.  
  
"Could you watch Belldandy for me? I need to let Megumi know everything is fine. She tends to overwork herself whenever something awful happens to take her mind off it."  
  
Panic filled Belldandy. She wanted to scream out and beg Keiichi~san not to leave her helplessly alone with Shiho-san, but remained too enervated. Keiichi~san looked down at her, and for what seemed like an eternity, Belldandy hoped he read the expression in her eyes.  
  
"I know you want me to stay a little longer, and I don't want to let you go, but it would be better for me to tell Megumi the good news myself. Please understand."  
  
If the goddess had the energy to cry, she would have. She didn't want him to disappear. Not when she need him the most. Not with Shiho-san. Belldandy shut her eyes in dire fear, waiting for Keiichi~san to move away and allow the priestess to take his place. It never happened.  
  
"I'm still here Belldandy. What's wrong?"  
  
Belldandy opened her eyes and saw that Keiichi~san spoke the truth. He knew. Somehow he knew. Even with her expressionless blank face, he knew. Just like all those year ago.  
  
"Morisato-sama. I hate to be impolite and seemingly indifferent to your situation, most especially at such a time like this, but I must take my leave."  
  
Keiichi looked back to Shiho-san.  
  
"Of course. I figured you'd be leaving early. Megumi and I packed your things while you were in Morning Prayer. You'll find them in the storage bin near the front door."  
  
"Thank you Morisato-sama. Your hospitality is more than I could ever repay."  
  
Shiho-san slowly knelt down next to Keiichi~san, and much to his surprise and Belldandy's, innocently kissed him on the cheek. Keiichi~san quickly blushed a deep red and began to randomly mutter.  
  
"Uhhh... I... What I mean to say is..."  
  
The priestess wordlessly stood and smiled; it seemed she was just as surprised by her own actions.  
  
"Until we meet again. My God bless this house and all who dwell within."  
  
Belldandy's emotions screamed in unheard silence.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"How many are still alive?"  
  
Peorth refused to believe the devastation her eyes revealed. The massacre was beyond anything she could possibly imagine, the bodies of goddesses scattered about like weeds in an untended garden: all of it by one being.  
  
"Only three Lady Peorth. Your immediate subordinates: Chrono, Era, and Ex. We've already gated them to the infirmaries in Heaven. They were in critical condition."  
  
Welsper had a reason for sparing them, but she couldn't place the reason why. How could one read the mind of a madman? What did the demon see in the three? What connection did they have? The answer struck Peorth with terrifying force.  
  
"Does Hell know that!?"  
  
"Know what Lady Peorth?"  
  
"That Chrono, Era, and Ex are my subordinates?"  
  
Silence. The terrible wait and silence of confirmation.  
  
"No. That information is highly classified."  
  
Peorth shuddered. But Welsper did...  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Perched upon a dying cherry blossom tree, Marller watched as an unrecognized hooded figure left the Tarikihongan Temple grounds. The gods surely blessed that person, for his life had just been spared from a terrible fate.  
  
Agony cooed with uncertainty. Marller frowned.  
  
"You sense something different in that one? No matter. We'll wait a few more minutes until he leaves from sight and hearing, then progress as planned."  
  
Stepping from her branch footing, the demon floated gracefully to the ground; placing herself before the human pawn she had enslaved the morning prior. On the mortal's shoulder rested a smug Senbei, his thoughts obviously lost elsewhere. Marller often envied the genie's haphazard attitude towards life.  
  
"Enjoying yourself Senbei? You know we have an assignment to carryout."  
  
Senbei broke out of his daydream, smiling knowingly at his demonic master. He held a dark glint in his whimsical expression.  
  
"Saa... Ikimashoo aka-chan."  
  
Marller grinned. Ikimashoo indeed.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
A knock on the temple's door caused Megumi to lose her concentration, and the firing chamber to the delicate sniper rifle she was assembling fell apart. Turning around, she caught Kei-chan carrying Belldandy in his arms as he walked by the workshop door.  
  
Belldandy was okay. Megumi giggled.  
  
"Taking the princess to her castle, Prince Charming?"  
  
Kei-chan grumbled before answering back.  
  
"Try being serious for once and open the door, Megumi."  
  
Giggling even more at her brother's obvious embarrassment, Megumi grabbed her firearm from the table next to her and loaded a fresh clip of ammo. Satisfied the weapon was in working order, she holstered it in her lightweight jacket, and then hastily threw a bandolier of knives across her shoulders. Gut instinct told her something was amiss, but she simply dismissed it as a stomachache for missing breakfast.  
  
Walking to the temple entrance, Megumi halted at the doors and stood in a safe position. She slowly drew three knives from their carrying belt, placing the blades of each between the knuckles of her fist.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"Its me Megumi-sempai."  
  
It was only Hasegawa-san. Megumi breathed a sigh of relief and eased into a less heightened mood. She opened the sliding door with her free hand.  
  
"It's been awhile since you last..."  
  
Megumi stopped in mid-sentence. Hasegawa was pointing a gun at her.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Placing Belldandy on her sleeping mat, Keiichi was surprised by gunfire before he heard a woman's scream and the temple door slamming shut.  
  
Megumi.  
  
Keiichi immediately drew Keima and Takano from his coat, quickly but cautiously moving against the main hall walls, hoping he wasn't too late. Holding the weapons against his chest in an "X" position, the palms of his fist pressed towards his body, he waited at the end corner for the sound of an opening.  
  
He got one: footsteps moving towards him. Keiichi rounded the corner with is arms held straight out.  
  
It was sister. She embraced him, shuddering and crying.  
  
"Kei-chan! It was Hasegawa-san! She's gone nuts! She tried to shoot me! I fell back and threw some knives at her and shut the door! I... I..."  
  
Keiichi kept vigilant watch of the closed entrance while returning Megumi's hug, unsure of how to proceed next. Hasegawa was most likely dead now. His thoughts were interrupted by the growing sensation of warm dampness under his arm. Megumi was bleeding.  
  
"Megumi! You're hurt! Where did she hit you?"  
  
Megumi didn't let go or step back.  
  
"Its only a shoulder wound." She cried harder. "Its nothing compared to what I did to Hasegawa-san."  
  
Full aware of how close Hasegawa and his sister were, Keiichi found himself unable to express words of comfort. They were the only two women - with exception to Belldandy and Chihiro - in the outer city limits. For several long seconds, the silence was only interrupted by Megumi's remorse.  
  
The temple door was sudden thrown open.  
  
Hasegawa was still alive, a single knife embedded through her left eye, and two more jammed in her chest. Two gunshots rang out the moment Keiichi tightened his grip around Megumi and rolled back against the cover of the passageway wall, his sister grunting in pain from the abrupt halting slam. The shots didn't appear to hit their mark.  
  
Megumi regained her composure, though tears still trickled from her eyes.  
  
"Who else!? Who else is there?"  
  
Keiichi couldn't bear to let his sister know the truth. It would be too traumatizing. To make matters worst, she was hurt and wouldn't be able to fight at her best. Keiichi had to challenge Hasegawa alone.  
  
"Megumi, I need you to watch Belldandy. Take care of her and yourself. I'll handle as much as I can alone. If I need you, I'll call."  
  
Megumi released her hold and looked at her brother. She nodded in understanding, but showed signs of defiance in her eyes.  
  
"Please be careful, Kei-chan."  
  
Keiichi nodded in response, watching as Megumi hurried her way to Belldandy's room. His sister was always the more reasoning one.  
  
Keiichi cleared his mind of distractions.  
  
It was time to put Hasegawa in her place.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"Marller-sama. It appears our chiisai hana has begun the paatii."  
  
Senbei stood on Marller's shoulder, resting his back against the demon's head, brushing the nails of one hand against the front of his jacket.  
  
The haft of Agony tightly gripped in both hands, Marller wasn't so confident of the situation has her companion. Though she was certain the Morisato siblings were having a pleasant surprise with her magic educed plaything, Belldandy had yet to make her move. It troubled the demon greatly. Hadn't the goddess sensed her presence? Was she setting a trap?  
  
Agony's uncharacteristic silence told her it was thinking the same. Marller decided she would wait a few seconds longer. Senbei only sighed in boredom. One day, Marller thought, that flaw would get him killed.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Keiichi fired two rounds into in the wall before him, hoping Hasegawa's inexperience in gunplay and heightened adrenaline would lead her to make a mistake. It did. Two shots answered back, hitting an area of the wall Keiichi could see. He smiled, now knowing everything he needed.  
  
The size of the bullet impacts told Keiichi three things; first that the caliber of his opponent's firearms was .44 and of high quality, second that she carried two of them, and the most important of all: the trajectory of the crater debris revealed where she generally stood.  
  
Without moving his body into harm's way, Keiichi placed the barrel of Takano around the passage corner, and let lose a single tungsten round from her uppermost barrel. The act was greeted by the high-powered round's ear shattering crack and the muffled explosion of flesh, muscle, and bone. Somewhere on Hasegawa-san's body was now a basketball-sized hole. Keiichi quickly rounded the corner while dropping to his knees, instinctively closing his opponent's window of retaliation.  
  
Hasegawa was motionless on the ground, her right shoulder completely separated form her body. Remembering how she survived Megumi's fatal attack, Keiichi took aim one final time with Takano and whispering for forgiveness to both Hasegawa-san's lost sanity and Megumi.  
  
A fine mist of blood, muscle, and bone took the place of what once was Hasegawa's head.  
  
Having fully realized that he killed a dear family friend, Keiichi simply lowered his head and cried.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"Marller-sama, our hana is dead. Ikimasu ka?"  
  
Damn Senbei. He knew her senses were just a sensitive, if not more so. He was simply egging her to rush into combat. Fortunately for the pair, she always maintained a cooler head.  
  
"Something isn't right Senbei. Where's Belldandy? She should have long been here."  
  
The genie pushed himself into the air and hovered into Marller's line of sight, his face obvious with the lack of interest he was feeling.  
  
"Perhaps Belldandy-san has already left? Ja, soo desu."  
  
For a moment, Marller considered the words. Was the individual with the strange aura Belldandy? That could have explained what she and Agony felt. The demon ran her thumbs back and forth along her weapon's haft, lost in deep thought.  
  
"No. She wouldn't dare leave his side. Not with him so close to the Sorrowing."  
  
A look of confusion and ignorance crossed Senbei's face.  
  
"Sorrowing?"  
  
"The side effect of losing one's soul more than once."  
  
Senbei became utterly lost.  
  
"Mata? Demo... Senbei thought the tasien of gatsu past was Marller-sama's saisho encounter with Keiichi-san."  
  
Marller gazed out into the void of nothing before continuing, a sight that made her partner unsettlingly cringe.  
  
"It was for me... But..." Marller's expression changed into something Senbei couldn't interpret, "_I know her... Belldandy... From my childhood... She's not what she seems... Belldandy... I... The part I've lost... My innocence..._"  
  
"Marller-sama? Moshi-moshi. Marller-sama? Oy!"  
  
Agony howled in disapproval and trembled in its master's hands; an act that broke the demon out of her trance. Marller blinked into reality.  
  
"We're leaving..." Her voice was a whisper.  
  
Senbei blankly stared at Marller, considering voicing an objection, but finding himself for a loss of words. Something wasn't right. Something he couldn't put his finger on. Something he so desperately wanted to know. As if she could read his thoughts, Marller gave Senbei a grimacing look.  
  
"I promise I'll explain later, but now isn't the time. There will be other moments; I swear it."  
  
Senbei shrugged as Marller took to the air, Agony held in tow.  
  
"Yare-yare. Hild-joosama will be so fushiawase..."  
  
+++++++++++++  
  
"Keiichi-kun! It's me, Chihiro! Keiichi-kun!"  
  
As the temple doors slid open, Chihiro was greeted by the loaded barrels of Keima and Takano, and knowing what she did, understood why.  
  
"Sora-chan came here, didn't she?"  
  
Keiichi gave Chihiro a look of scorn.  
  
"Hasegawa is dead. Go home Chihiro."  
  
Chihiro raised her hands in objection, but quickly placed them against her side the moment she heard Keiichi-kun squeeze back the triggers of his twin guns.  
  
"I said go home!"  
  
Aware of the anxiety and tension Keiichi-kun was feeling, Chihiro slowly backed away, keeping her eyes level on the deadly firearms that shone in the setting sun's red light. It was like looking into the eyes of a silvered skin demon.  
  
"If you ever feel ready to talk about it, you know where to find me."  
  
Chihiro turned around and walked away, cursing herself as she did. Why didn't see realize it sooner? Why?  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Closing the door and easing himself away from it, Keiichi found that he didn't know whom to trust anymore. First Hasegawa attempted to kill his sister. Then, when Belldandy fully recovered from her bout of weakness, he discovered that Shiho was responsible for seriously harming her. And there always were the dreams; those goddamned dreams.  
  
"Kei-chan?"  
  
Megumi. He could always trust her. She was blood. She was all he had left of his family. She was always there, whether he knew it or not.  
  
"It was Chihiro, claiming she wanted to talk. I told her to leave."  
  
Nodding in understanding, Megumi turned around and returned to her room. It then dawned on Keiichi that she was holding a set of knives in her hand. She was just as wired as he.  
  
Keiichi returned to the tearoom, where he sat with Belldandy before Chihiro's unwanted interruption. Aside from his sister, Belldandy was the only person whom he left at ease with now. The three of them against the world; the thought held little merit or satisfaction in Keiichi's mind.  
  
"Keiichi~san? Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
Smiling back at Belldandy, Keiichi gently sat on the floor, reassessing the day's events. He had no idea how to proceed tomorrow. Belldandy moved over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Everything will be alright, Keiichi~san."  
  
Keiichi looked into Belldandy's deep blue eyes. Since making his faithful wish, he never asked a single thing from her: everything she did a faucet of her freewill. Now that was about to change. His inner weakness implored that he ask something from her, or else it would break free and leave him a broken shell.  
  
"Belldandy."  
  
The goddess suddenly became concerned with Keiichi's wavering voice.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Tears rained from Keiichi's eyes, not of water, but of blood.  
  
Belldandy's own eyes reflected the horror growing inside her.  
  
"Make the dreams stop... please... make them stop..."  
  
+++++++++++++  
  
  
**[ CHAPTER FOUR ]**  
  
**CD Music Listened To While Writing Chapter:** Last Blade II Arranged Sound Track  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
What follows are the Senbei dialogs, first as they appeared in the story, then the English equivalent. For those already fluent in Japanese, remember, Senbei speaks with incorrect word usage; just as the original did with English.  
  
**Japanese:** Saa... Ikimashoo aka-chan.  
**English:** Ok then... Let's go baby.  
  
**Japanese:** Marller-sama. It appears our chiisai hana has begun the paatii.  
**English:** Lady Marller. It appears our little flower has begun the party.  
  
**Japanese:** Marller-sama, our hana is dead. Ikimasu ka?  
**English:** Lady Marller, our flower is dead. Do we go?  
  
**Japanese:** Perhaps Belldandy-san has already left? Ja, soo desu.  
**English:** Perhaps Belldandy has already left? Yeah, that's it.  
  
**Japanese:** Mata? Demo... Senbei thought the tasien of gatsu past was Marller-sama's saisho encounter with Keiichi-san.  
**English:** Again? But... Senbei thought the battle of months past was Lady Marller's first encounter with Keiichi-san.  
  
**Japanese:** Marller-sama? Moshi-moshi. Marller-sama? Oy!  
**English:** Lady Marller? Hello? Lady Marller? Hey!  
  
**Japanese:** Yare-yare. Hild-joosama will be so fushiawase...  
**English:** Oh well. Queen Hild will be so unhappy...


	5. Chapter Four: Paradise Lost

**Title:** Warrior Goddess Belldandy  
**Author:** Gunner (admin@elizar.com)  
**Basis:** Ah! My Goddess, Warrior Nun Areala  
**Protagonist(s):** Keiichi, Megumi, Shiho, Yuki, Peorth, Urd  
**Antagonist(s):** Osawa, Kakuta, Morou, Yoshino, Nakano, Marller, Welsper  
**Synopsis:** A much darker alternate reality to the AMG universe.  
**Setup:** World War III occurred twenty years ago, and the planet is littered with apocalyptic cities and marauding gangs. Rather than being a college student studying technology and skilled with vehicles, Keiichi Morisato is a master craftsman gunsmith skilled in gunplay. Perhaps even more altering: Heaven and Hell are actively at war, long abandoning the "Doublet System" that prevented open conflict. And like all wars between deities: it's not a conquest of territories, but of souls...  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
**Chapter Notes:** This chapter took longer to assemble that I possibly imagined. There were actually three rewrites, each totally different from the other. In the end, I chose the one that made it easiest to close several subplots, introduced quite a few AMG characters, and offered the greatest amount of violence (yeah, yeah). By the way: If you're an AMG fan, and can identify the incarnations of the alternate reality support cast in this chapter (Yuki, Osawa, Kakuta, Morou, Yoshino, and Nakano), you're a much better person than I am.  
  
First a few words of warning:  
  
There's a sniper rifle in this chapter. This was planned for quite some time; read the chapter before this, and you'll see the foreshadowing. I wanted to point this out, as some people might find it offensive due to the recent Washington, D.C. killings. I tried to edit that segment out, but it ruined story flow, so I put it back in. Sorry.  
  
If you're religiously sensitive, you might want to pass. Nothing extremely offensive; just an item nitpicky people might not like. Shiho, remember?  
  
Two or three uses of some harsh language. Of course in this day and age, it's not like you never heard of these words on the school grounds and in the movies...  
  
Graphic detail. People die violently in this one. It's not called a dark alternate reality for nothing.  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
Megumi frowned, squirming her shoulders several times in futile effort to adjust the dead weight of her plate lined jacket. She never understood how Kei-chan could move around so easily in his far more heavier and restrictive trench coat. But then, she always thought his obsession of fighting with guns alone made factors such as agile maneuverability and unhindered movement unnecessary. Sighing in impatience, Megumi glanced at her watch for the sixth time in two minutes, tapping her toes against the rusted steel grate she stood upon.  
  
Three days ago, Chihiro-san informed Kei-chan of an assassination plot the Aoshima Family initiated to permanently resolved what they called, the Morisato Problem. Supposedly, five of the best mercenaries in a two hundred mile radius had somehow been contracted to work together and kill Keiichi and Megumi during their routine salvaging excursion; or shopping, as Megumi jokingly called it. Unfortunately for the bounty hunters, the intended targets held numerous connections and a wide resource of owed favors who relayed knowledge of the morbid venture; most important among these, Chihiro-san herself.  
  
Aoshima Toshiyuki. If he couldn't secure their gun making services exclusively, his sick mind felt no one else should. One day, Megumi reflected, she and Kei-chan would personally settle the matter once and for all.  
  
"You're making a lot of noise for someone whose supposed to be quiet..."  
  
A smile rapidly formed across Megumi's face as thoughts of teasing Kei-chan washed away the overwhelming boredom of waiting. He unwillingly left her to stand guard of an out of the way street as he scouted the ruins of their location for possible vantage points. Kei-chan never liked ambushes that produced unforeseen surprises.  
  
"So did you find that 'special something' for Belldandy while wandering around? Candy? Flowers? Jewelry?" A mischievous grin suddenly highlighted Megumi's features, "Lingerie?"  
  
Keiichi suddenly turned red at his younger sister's last remark, his thoughts suddenly implanted with the thought of his girlfriend in a revealing outfit. His clumsy attempt to hide the expression was followed by Megumi's giggling. The suppressed laughter echoed throughout the shopping center ruins, causing Keiichi to rush over and place his hands over her mouth.  
  
"Are you trying to get us killed?"  
  
Megumi shook her head in mock dismay, removing her brother's hands to answer his question. The gleam in her eyes did little to ease Keiichi's nerves.  
  
"Kei-chan. Kei-chan. The ambush isn't going to happen for another four hours or so."  
  
Keiichi only scowled.  
  
"You're missing the point..."  
  
"Don't try to change the subject lover boy." Megumi decided to press her curiosity a bit further, giving into her sisterly instinct. "Did you find anything? I know your hiding something: it doesn't take you that long to survey a place like this."  
  
As a look of total guilt flooded Keiichi's face, his sister smirked in knowing success. She hit and found something.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Being clandestine was never one of Shiho's strength.  
  
Hiding behind a rotting wooden crate twice her size, the lone demon hunter maneuvered around the massive object as two Nakomi gang members walked passed. As she held her breath in nervous anticipation, the attentive pair momentarily halted their patrol only a handful of feet away from her, then continued out of the area without signs of obvious suspicion. For several long seconds, Shiho remained motionless, praying silent thanks to God for His intervention.  
  
Taking one final survey of the spacious distance she had to travel without notice, the nun crept through the darkness as best she could, taking incredible care to avoid slipping on the thick film of dry oil and human blood that permeated the concrete floor. The fading infernal sickness that lingered in the stale atmosphere of the warehouse told Shiho her prey had long since abandoned this location, but she urgently hoped the demon haphazardly left a clue to its next location. It had taken six months to get this close, and the thought of failing so far into the undertaking was a bitter prospect.  
  
Shiho moved from shadow to shadow, double and triple checking her surroundings for traps or hidden sentries in the process. It was an extremely time consuming procedure, but easily justifiable considering her circumstances: alone and trespassing in potentially hostile territory. Little surprise then, when Shiho finally reached her intended destination - an aluminum cargo door adjunction to the next storage room - that her heart raced into an insane frenzy as the entrance suddenly opened when she stood helpless in full exposure.  
  
She was caught.  
  
"Sister Shiho, that's a rather imprudent method of breaking and entry, don't you think?"  
  
It took the passing of three stunned eye blinks for Shiho to calm her nerves and associate the face to its voice: a revelation that brought the warmth of renewed comradeship and comforting knowledge that she wasn't truly alone in an uncaring environment.  
  
"Sister Yuki? What are you doing here?" The questions we're asked in near inaudible whisper.  
  
The newly arrived nun smiled, noting her friend's obvious mix confusion and elation.  
  
"The same thing as you Sister Shiho. Hunting another demon in the name of the Lord."  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Belldandy spent most of the morning cleaning the rooms of Keiichi~san and Megumi-san without fanfare. Though the two siblings maintained spotless sleeping quarters, there were always little things only a goddess could notice. Once completed with that task, taking a short noon break for chocolate, tea, and a quick nap, Belldandy proceeded to clear the storage bins located near the temple front entrance.  
  
Delicately opening the center cabinet doors, she was mildly perplexed by a small silk satchel resting on the highest shelf. It was dyed in dark purple, beautifully embroidered in platinum threads with alphabetic patterns the goddess failed to immediately recognize. Beneath the pouch was a sheet of paper folded twice over.  
  
For an entire minute, Belldandy fought the growing curiosity inside her, deeming it impolite to disturb anything that belonged to Keiichi~san or his sister without their permission. It was a losing battle.  
  
Belldandy reached out and lifted the ordinate pouch, noting that its contents were more heavily weighted than she anticipated. Gracefully untying the single red cord, and feeling a surge of embarrassing nosiness, the goddess momentarily held her breath as she slipped the object from its covering into her hands.  
  
It was a magnificently engraved silver magazine case, fully loaded with what appeared to be equally ordinate bullets made of pure gold.  
  
Turning the casing one side to the next, Belldandy was marveled at the painstaking attention given to its hand-etched inscription, a poetic flowing story she never read before, written in a language long considered dead. Interpreting the tale as best she could, the goddess dropped the magazine unto the temple's wooden floor as she deciphered a horrifyingly familiar passage:  
  
_God is in His heaven and all is right with the world._  
  
Those were Shiho's words.  
  
Without hesitation, Belldandy grasped the unread folded note into her hands, painfully aware of the message it contained, but emotionally driven to it regardless:  
  
_Morisato Keiichi,  
  
I pray to the Lord you find this before Belldandy.  
  
You may not believe what I am about to write, but you must. It's important that you must!  
  
Belldandy is not human. She is a false idol: a pagan deity of a pagan faith from pagan times. More importantly, she is the reason for your nightmares.  
  
It's called the Sorrowing: the desecration of a human soul more than once. Though I cannot claim who was the second to taint what is yours and the Lord's alone, I know without fail that she was the first. The dreams must have been trying to tell you this.  
  
One of them must die Morisato-sama. Belldandy, or the nameless other who also defiled your soul...  
  
For seven days and seven nights you will weep tears of blood. Then for seven days and seven nights, the dreams will stop. The life of one or the other must end before the dreams start again. Your sanity and salvation depends upon it.  
  
I know Morisato-sama... Like you, I was lost, but then was found...  
  
Unto thee I give retribution of our Lord and Savior. May the Blessed Virgin Mary save you as she did me.  
  
Please heed my words. There is so much more I wish I could say, but cannot... I pray our paths will cross again.  
  
For the Kingdom of Heaven, Forever and Ever, Amen.  
  
- Sakakibara Shiho_  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Situation briefing complete, Peorth exited the massive audience chamber of Heaven's Supreme Council with a tremendous sense of dread hovering over her shoulders. In several hours, she would descend to the human world and arrange an encounter with the utterly insane Welsper. How events would play themselves out after than was anyone's guess.  
  
"Peorth! It's been too long!"  
  
The sound of a familiar voice not heard in years broke Peorth out of misery, and in spite of herself, the goddess smiled in mild amusement.  
  
"Urd! When did they finally let you back in Heaven? After that incident at Jotunheim, I thought you'd be barred entry until the end of Ragnarok."  
  
Floating through the massive windowed arboretum passageway, Urd rushed forward and hugged Peorth in a friendly embrace. Since the beginning of the war, few goddesses felt comfortable in the presence of the half-demon Goddess of the Past; fewer would dare associate with her outside of professionalism, to say nothing of maintaining true friendship.  
  
"Its good to see you again, Peorth. Skuld told me you'd be up here. Can you believe that kid actually cried when she saw me? Never in a ten thousand years would I expect that. Maybe for Belldandy, but me?"  
  
The Goddess of Forever smiled knowingly. Skuld kept track of her eldest sister's activities from the moment Urd was assigned her long-term assignment. On weeks the young goddess couldn't find information of Urd's situation, she could be found sulking aimlessly in the Command Center or asking her second sister for uplifting advise. Deep down inside, Peorth knew Urd was perhaps more aware of the Skuld's emotions than anyone else; she only hid them far better.  
  
As a gleam of sincere curiosity flashed within her eyes, Urd released Peorth and touched her feet to the ground.  
  
"Speaking of Belldandy: where is she? I want to try and find her next."  
  
Peorth scratched her head, attempting to recall the specifics of her one time rival's latest assignment. It had been quite awhile since she last saw her as well.  
  
"Hmmm... What was the name of that client? Morita? Moriku? Mori..."  
  
Urd's face exploded into an expression of absolute dismay; her formerly cheerful eyes now reflecting naked fear.  
  
"Morisato!? Morisato Keiichi!? Was his name Morisato Keiichi!?"  
  
Taken aback by Urd's sudden change of mood, Peorth only nodded in confused confirmation.  
  
"I'm confident that was his name. Morisato Keiichi. Earth realm. Japanese nation-state."  
  
Without warning, Urd raced in the direction she arrived, the rushing goddess's hair whipping across Peorth's face painfully. The Goddess of Forever stood alone again; ever more apprehensive of what destiny would bring tomorrow.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"So what do you know of the Morisato siblings?"  
  
Osawa sighed with unhidden scorn of his current company. Had he known Hellspawn Yoshino and Red-Haired Nakano would be such a pair of moronic individuals, the Aoshima Family might have found itself with one less bounty hunter. How Kakuta and Morou were able to handle the situation without obvious signs of distress was beyond him.  
  
"I find it hard to believe anyone would accept a headhunting job without prior knowledge of the targets you're expected to kill. Only fools or idiots jump into a pool without knowing if it's filled with water first."  
  
Ego evidently injured, Yoshino halted his lumbering gait and turned to face the irritated Osawa who walked behind him. Utter contempt was clearly written across the face of the muscle bound behemoth; fists clenching open and shut at his side.  
  
"Listen hear old man, you may be hot shit with that shotgun slung on your back, but it won't do you any good after I shove it up you're ass with your arm still attached."  
  
Slowly reaching across his back, Osawa relished the idea of killing Yoshino. The act would not only terminate a great source of his current stress, it also equated into a larger portion of the prize money to be won.  
  
"Care to take a shot, you steroid pumped freak?"  
  
Before the two could move against one another, Morou stood between them, smiling with a ridiculous grin that betrayed the whimsical humor passing thorough his mind. Tightly griped in his left hand was an unsafe Uzi, which he shook in a threatening manner, not only against those who stood around, but to himself as well.  
  
"If the fight is gonna start here and now? Why don't we all get involved, eh?"  
  
As if to answer the newly presented challenge, the dominatrix laugh of Nakano filled the air as she grabbed one of Yoshino's arms in a seductive manner. The woman quickly nuzzled up against the giant's chest, pressing her fingers against the tears and slashes in his earth worn coat.  
  
"Ignore him stud muffin. Old men like these need to overcompensate for their lacking physical prowess; both on the field of battle, and in the bedchamber. Real men like you don't need water to jump in a pool; you're that tough."  
  
Seemingly convinced by his companion's words, Yoshino sneered and turned around, continuing forward at a slower pace than before, keeping within hearing distance of those behind. Osawa only frowned, discussed that Morou robbed him of a grand opportunity. Perhaps when everything was over, he would deal with him too.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Steadying his aim with the sniper rifle Megumi handcrafted, Keiichi took aim at the Uzi carrying gunman's head, deeming the automatic weapon would be the most dangerous out of the three noticeably armed mercenaries. They were idiots to so brazenly enter a building crowded environment, regardless if they expected to be the ambushers, rather than ambushed. It would be a lesson they'd learn hard. Keiichi tightened his finger along the trigger mechanism as Megumi announced her last wind speed measurement. Before the muffled crack of the weapon echoed throughout the ruined city block, the target of its armor piercing fury exploded in a colorful display of red and gray.  
  
As the four surviving targets instinctively scattered in different directions, Keiichi grinned grimly. His sister built one hell of gun.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
It took Yoshino half an hour to locate Nakano after their unorganized dispersal from the sniper fire, though in actually, it was she who found him creeping from building to building. The Morisato were honorless bastards for using such a cowardly attack. How were martial fighters like themselves supposed to face against an opponent who concealed themselves behind weapons that killed from hundreds of feet?  
  
As the couple wandered the alleyways, searching for Osawa and Kakuta, Nakano suddenly halted in her steps, turning to face the roads they had just traveled.  
  
"Yoshino. Footsteps behind us; sounds like two people."  
  
"Osawa! Kakuta! Over here!" The juggernaut of a man smiled. It seemed Fate was shifting back in their favor.  
  
After a momentary pause, the footsteps changed direction towards Yoshino and Nakano, and much to the mercenaries' surprise, the figures that emerged from the shadows were not of their fellow bounty hunters, but of the bounties themselves.  
  
A cursorily glance told Yoshino less than he wanted to know of the pair:  
  
The sister wore a denim lightweight jacket, suspiciously was stiff in several critical locations: an obvious sign of light armor. Loosely thrown over her shoulders was a bandolier filled with throwing knives; three of which were already clutched in her right hand. The girl showed no signs of carrying a gun, but her jacket seemed bulky enough to conceal one.  
  
Her brother was completely concealed under a weighted dull yellow trench coat, its colors evidently faded from over washing and constant use. In both hands he held two overkill firearms in lazy fashion, though the momentary twitch of his wrists each time Yoshino or Nakano made the slightest motion belied he was extraordinarily reflexive.  
  
Nakano laughed haughtily as she took a single step forward, gingerly swinging the leather whip she produced from a mesh hip pack.  
  
"Shall we do it the old fashion way Yoshino? I get the boy, you get the girl?"  
  
The memories of past victory passed through Yoshino's mind, as premonitions of future ones replaced them. He loved how Nakano operated.  
  
"Of course, darling. Let's teach these weaklings a thing or two about honor and respect."  
  
The Morisato brother spoke up first, "So then its decided then? Your woman against me, and my sister against you; one on one?"  
  
Nakano nodded in an overly sexual manner.   
  
The boy simply grinned in returned...  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
In the corner of her eye, Megumi caught Kei-chan's ridiculous smirk before he shot the SM Queen dead in her face; the thundering voice of Takano only slightly overtaking the sickening spattering sound of the woman's skull tearing open from behind. The velocity of the round jerked back what was left of her cranium, which was soon followed by the snapping of her limp spinal column, before the body slammed unceremoniously to the ground.  
  
Her apparent lover stood motionless in appalled shock.  
  
Megumi paused before rushing her opponent, giving her brother a look of absolute disappointment.  
  
"Damn Kei-chan. The least you could have done was let her get within five feet of you."  
  
Kei-chan shrugged apathetically, "I'm a gunslinger, remember? I use guns, not my hands."  
  
Dashing forward in rapid sprint, Megumi observed the muscleman's roar of hatred and glare of vengeance focused directly at her. Shifting one knife into her previously empty left hand, she positioned the blades to point away from each thumb, situating her wrists directly before her face in a crisscross pattern. When the Goliath attempted to use his superior strength to stop Megumi's advance in a devastating bear hug, she spread her arms out to stab his crushing forearms, then used her own body weight and gravity to pull his arms down, keeping a blade emerged in each.  
  
Absorbing the impact of her landing across the length of her knees and shins, and ignoring the gushing blood from the lethal lacerations, Megumi propelled herself to handstand across the juggernaut's shoulders, stabbing her third and final knife into his larynx. The pain howls of his voice gurgled into a choking drown as she completed the maneuver and spun herself around his neck while keep grip of the weapon. The momentum of Megumi's spin not only sliced half his neck in a semicircle: it clean separated his head in a loudly audible 'thock.' Loosing her balance from the body's sudden lifeless collapse, Megumi abruptly released her claim of the severed anatomy as she ungracefully landed on her feet.  
  
A long silence followed the muffled thump of the SM King hitting the ground.  
  
"Damn Megumi. I sure as hell hope that wasn't a mercy kill, cause if it was..."  
  
More than slightly disappointed in her less than perfect execution, Megumi grimly glared back at her brother, who immediately stopped mid-sentence of his unhelpful remark.  
  
"Don't say it, Kei-chan. Don't say it..."  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"Quite the pair you have down there, Marller. Especially your Megumi... Very bloody... Skeletons in her closet most definitely... If they were demons, I could really grow to like them. Well... As much as I could like a fellow demon..."  
  
Marller grimace at Welsper's off-hand remarked, considering the exact innuendo of what he implied. Was earning the favor of Hild worth the risks of making an alliance with such a loose cannon? Marller prayed fervently she wasn't making a grievous mistake. Senbei's out of character silence, perched upon Maller's shoulder in rigid semi attention, showed he was most likely thinking the same.  
  
"Present company not accepted, Welsper?"  
  
For a moment, Marller believed Welsper actually considered her reply, but his insane giggling revealed it was more likely a ruse; or perhaps a window into his lunatic psyche.  
  
Agony maliciously trembled and moaned in disapproval of Welsper's response.  
  
"No Marller, present company is most defiantly not accepted." The childlike demon smiled violently. "After all, when all is said and done, I'm going to kill you too."  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
The howling autumn winds did little to ease Kakuta's tension, his senses already heightened by the shifting shadows cast by a setting sun. Little more than an hour ago, his traveling party of experienced bounty hunters was scattered by the action of a mysterious sniper; one who targeted a single member of that group. It was an expertly executed surprise attack: Morou was killed with but one clean shot to the head.  
  
Hell's Messengers. Death's Children. Keiichi and Megumi. The Morisato.  
  
Realization that his prey turned predator forced a crude smile to Kakuta's lips. It had been years - perhaps as long as an entire decade - since the skilled-mercenary genuinely felt fright from another individual. There was no question that the siblings truly earned their legendary nicknames; the tales were authentic.  
  
Tonight, Kakuta would finally encounter someone worthy to be called an equal. All he needed to do was find them...  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"Why are you smiling Megumi? Do you have an idea?"  
  
Abruptly broken from deep thought, Megumi looked up to see her older brother gazing back at her, a look of concern written across his face. The pair decided to rest and reassess their situation before continuing the deadly game of 'cat and mouse' they were conducting. For the longest time, neither of them spoke a single word after finding an adequate hiding spot in the recess of a half crumbling alleyway; both were unable to think of a better solution than wandering aimlessly throughout the city ruins, haphazardly encountering their would be assassins.  
  
"I was just wondering what Belldandy will have for breakfast tomorrow. At the rate things are going now, we're going to miss it."  
  
Keiichi shook his head in bewilderment, shrugging as he starred towards the reddening sky.   
  
"Sometimes I don't understand you… Here we are, in a life or death situation, and you're thinking of food. I wish I had your confidence."  
  
Megumi giggled. She didn't think Keiichi would fall for her hastily crafted lie: a clear reflection of his growing weariness. Pangs of guilt filled her heart for not revealing the truth to him, though she knew he'd never understand what she was thinking.  
  
Kei-chan would find an answer the their current dilemma.  
  
In spite of how dire their circumstances were, Megumi was never afraid so long big brother was there. Though she would tease and taunt him as any younger sister would, Megumi held nothing but the utmost respect for him. It was Keiichi who took care of her when their parents died. It was Keiichi who remained optimistic they could endure in those long dark years. It was Keiichi who ensured their survival.  
  
Megumi smiled again as she noticed her brother staring at the ground, tapping his fingers across the back of his neck. It would be Keiichi who found a means to success in this dark hour...  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
"Watching these two is boring, don't you think?"  
  
Standing atop the ruins of a twisted radio tower, hidden in the darkness of its rusting steel rails, Marller silently eased away the panic flooding her mind. Welsper's erratic personality had long driven her to fear his warped perception and mood swings. At one moment, the Demon would be kind and understanding, the next bloodthirsty and animalistic. For the moment, he was taking an indifferent yet civilized mood. It was really a question of how long that would last.  
  
Marller remained silent to her insane companion's question, noticing the gradual frothing at his mouth. A new personality was starting to emerge; one that Marller doubted would be enjoyable. She tightened her clutch of Agony, the whispering moan of the double-headed battle-axe reassuring the Demon. Senbei seemingly took notice of Marller's subtle defensive stance; gently floating away from his roost on her shoulders, though preserving rigid control of his flight in the whipping evening winds.  
  
Neither of them afforded belief Welsper would not turn against them, even if their current goals were mutually beneficial. Those who did never survived to make the mistake again.  
  
Suddenly, Welsper uttered a morbid giggle, the lathering spit collected around his mouth splashing on the cement ground. The sound had little comfort to Marller, and she began to search an explanation for why her lunatic ally would do such a thing.  
  
Then the Demon sensed it: a tingling awareness that reached into the depths of her mind. It was the presence of incredible power, though not their own. A confusing notion that had only one true meaning - lesser servants of a greater being: mortals who somehow borrowed powers of an immortal; yet themselves not understanding how truly beneficial or dangerous such a thing could be.  
  
Welsper trembled with lunatic delight.  
  
"Marller... I sense them... they're here... Our would be murders are here..."  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Shiho was beginning to wish she hadn't told Yuki about her encounter with Keiichi Morisato. As serious as the younger Demon Hunter tried to make her recount of the situation, her childhood friend refused to take it completely seriously. It didn't help that she hinted of a slight infatuation with the man.  
  
"Envy is a serious sin Sister Shiho," Yuki's voice had a playful ring to it, "to think that someone from our Covent would so easily be tempted."  
  
Shiho face became bright red at the accusation, a combination of embarrassment and irritation. The sight of it did not escape Yuki; a grin the storybook Cheshire Cat would envy crossing her features.  
  
"You've got the wrong idea, Sister Yuki. You're twisting my words... Belldandy is using Keiichi for something, but I can't quite figure it out. Why would an Yggdrasil remain with a human? They're only after the souls of the pure hearted, not relationships."  
  
Yuki smile slowly faded, though her eyes still betrayed merriment.  
  
"Be that as it may, Yggdrasil are not malevolent in every sense of the word. Twisters of the truth and manipulative; but certainly not destructive and murderous."  
  
The senior nun stopped walking, taking a moment to stretch out, waiting for Shiho to take hint that she wanted to rest awhile.  
  
"While I have no doubt that everything should be done to save Keiichi's soul, this Belldandy's interest in him is most likely more benign than you're making it out to be. Perhaps she did touch his soul; but the reasons might have been for his own benefit."  
  
Shiho started at Yuki in naked disbelief.  
  
"Yuki! What you're saying is Heresy!" The woman's voice became less than a whisper, "You of all people... how could you think like that?"  
  
Yuki's playful eyes never faded, and for several fleeting seconds, Shiho began to wonder if her friend was merely toying again.  
  
The senior Demon Hunter smirked.  
  
"You really do like him, don't you Shiho?"  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
The voices of two women in conversation caught Kakuta's attention as he curved the rubble of what appeared to be the remains of a fire station. Taking utmost caution in maintaining his concealed location, the veteran gunslinger peered around a partially standing brick wall, easing his trusted .357 Desert Eagle from the security of its holster. He always kept the weapon unsafe; many lessons from experience taught him that the benefits greatly outweighed the risks.  
  
"You really do like him, don't you Shiho?"  
  
The woman asking the question was of deceptively uninteresting notice. Though from his vantage point, Kakuta could see very little in way of fine details, it was fairly obvious the young lady was average in all terms of the word. Female (though that in itself was quite remarkable), twenties to thirties, in the middle five feet range, long black hair. Nonetheless, she radiated an alluring air of mystery without even trying.  
  
"What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
The opposite individual, the one apparently named Shiho, was quite pleasing to the eyes. Standing somewhat shorter than her friend, she had cropped wavy hair and an innocent face. 'Awesomely cute' was perhaps the best phrase to describer her.  
  
"Everything."  
  
"Like?"  
  
Sliding his firearm back into its holster, and softly moving away from the bend of the wall, Kakuta breathed a sigh of relief. Though it was fairly unusual to see other people braving the dangers of city ruins at the onset of darkness, the pair evidently appeared to be of little eminent threat and absorbed in their own troubles. Though Kakuta was far from an honorable man, striking against those whom he had no business with wasn't his style.  
  
Not unless there was substantial profit involved, and fortunately for the unknowing pair, they seemed far from that prerequisite.  
  
Attempting to avoid an undesired encounter, the mercenary turned backed the path he arrived, suddenly catching glimpse of a small figure standing in the shadows from the corner of his eyes. In the passing of a single heartbeat, Kakuta freed his handgun from its rest, leveling the deadly weapon with expert precision at the newly found danger.  
  
Was he so distracted by the two women, that he didn't hear the stranger sneak behind him? The silhouette stood rigid still.  
  
"Attractive, aren't they? Wrong faith for this country though." The shadow giggled in childish glee, "Not that I'm really bitching about it. Marller tells me they're quite dangerous regardless. That might not mean much though; the whore probably is getting too soft, needing that damn genie and whatnot."  
  
In spite of himself, Kakuta found the enigmatic individual before him unnerving; it took every ounce of willpower to surpass an urge to gun down the stranger. The voice was that of an adolescent boy, yet it obviously spoke in a contemptuous, reviled tone. The gunslinger squeezed the trigger of his firearm ever so slightly, pulling back its firing hammer until the strain of the weapon's mechanism was scarcely heard. It would take less than a twitch to fire.  
  
Kakuta felt no sense of reassurance: his instincts screamed nothing less than the murder of this child.  
  
"Step out where I can see you."  
  
The shadow figure tilted its head in what appeared to be slight amusement.  
  
"Is that your wish? I can only grant you one." The reply came with incredible sarcasm, "But it will cost you something most valuable."  
  
The mercenary measured the words carefully, catching the veiled threat they implied. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back: once Kakuta caught a glimpse of the maniac's face, he would immediately splatter it across the alleyway. To be damned if the two girls behind him and the Morisato siblings heard it.  
  
"Yeah," Kakuta leveled his mark dead center with the silhouette's head, "that's my single wish."  
  
The figure stepped forward, and from a small distance behind - in the general location of the two young girls he left behind - Kakuta heard what he could only describe as a lamenting chorus of voices...  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
The echo of gunfire broke Keiichi from his deep thoughts; the blood-curling scream of anguish that followed it terrified him. Literally jumping from his crouched position from the ground, nearly crashing his head against the low ceiling of the concrete crevice that he and his sister hid within, the young man reached for Keima and Takano in a reflexive response, drawing the heavy handguns to his side with deadly proficiency.   
  
"Megumi!? Are you okay? Megumi!"  
  
Much to Keiichi's own surprise, he cried out his sister's name without any thought or concern that his present location would be discovered; it was wholly an instinctive action to reassure him that she was still with him, that the far-away cry wasn't hers. Quickly scanning his surroundings with adrenaline-boosted senses, his heart sank into absolute dread as he noticed she was nowhere to be seen.  
  
Had she snuck off during his drawn thinking? She often did when she became bored. Keiichi's mind raced with dreadful imaginations.  
  
"Megumi! Where are you!? MEGUMI!"  
  
Keiichi moved way from his secure position, rushing towards the only entrance and exit of the secluded alley as quickly as his legs would carry him. Pangs of shame engulfed him: It was his fault. He should have paid closer attention to her. What was he thinking of bringing her along?  
  
"Kei-chan! I'm over here!"  
  
In his rapid pace, Keiichi had nearly reached the end of the passage within scant seconds, and his abrupt stop in mid sprint lead him to skid across the rocky gravel of the ground.  
  
Megumi's voice came from behind and above; half filled with anxiety. Spinning around to confirm his hearing with sight, looking towards the source of his sister's voice, Keiichi observed that she was standing several feet above him upon the roof of one building that formed the alleyway that he stood within, holding a set of knives in one hand and her firearm in another. As he quickly wondered how she climbed atop the structure, she kicked over something that deployed a collapsible fire escape ladder with surprising silence, its dull red color camouflaging uncannily with the brick wall it slid down. Keiichi cursed himself for not noticing the steps when choosing the alley under a half hour ago.  
  
As Megumi tucked her weapons away and steadily climbed down, a dozen harsh reprimands crossed Keiichi's mind, but in truth he would never utter a single one of them to her. His sister was safe and uninjured: it was all that mattered.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Shiho sensed the rapidly advancing infernal presence of a nightmarish being before Yuki, the other Demon Hunter still in mid conversation as the distant inhuman moans of a thousand voices gradually grew closer. It was a dreadful sound that unnerved the experienced nun; regardless of the numerous times she heard it: Agony.  
  
Then there was a guttural scream of drowning torture.  
  
In unintentional unison with Yuki, the nun looked towards the rooftops to see a voluptuous figure gently glide to the ground, a monstrous bladed weapon cradled along her left shoulder with unquestionable assurance. Though Shiho was significantly concerned of the pain filled death throw from a half concealed pathway only meters away, neither she nor Yuki could afford turning their attention away from the dire threat that now appeared before them.  
  
One of the Demons they sought now stood before them, and confrontation was opening in her favor.  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
No words were spoken. None were needed.  
  
Marller lunged forward with blinding speed towards Shiho, the bemoaning voice of Agony echoing throughout the vacant street, one handedly cleaving through empty air as the intended target inelegantly dove to the side in the split instant between life and death. Recovering far quicker than any human could, the Demon twisted the double-edged battle-axe to its side, chunks of street asphalt shoveled into the air as the flat of its blade was shifted horizontal to the ground, completing the sudden motion with a crescent shaped arc towards the opposite nun, only to find that she had already scurried out of range.  
  
Marller silently cursed as she held her position, Agony's voices shrieking in a crescendo of furious denial. The pair was not as inexperienced as she had hoped, anticipating her moves with admirable dexterity.  
  
Shifting her gaze towards the youngest of the pair, the Demon noted the nun was reciting phrases in Aramaic, wisps of pallid glowing mists swelling around her recovering form. It was a spell Marller had encountered once before, though not in battles prior with followers of the Roman Catholic Church. It hardly mattered: she would soon surprise the foolish girl; it effects were all but useless against one with First Class License.  
  
Downgrading the threat Shiho posed, though fully aware that overconfidence of the situation could be a fatal mistake, Marller drifted towards the second self-supposed Demon Hunter with sadistic intent. She decided Yuki would be the first die.  
  
Agony cooed in hopeful exhilaration...  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
Drenched in warm blood, its unique scent bringing joyous ambiance, Welsper emerged from the alleyway in time to see Marller move against the elder nun with a slight caution in her defensive stance. It was a pitiable sight. Why didn't Marller simply slaughter the two with her attack magic?  
  
Where was Senbei?  
  
_ Did Marller or Senbei LIKE the COLOR purple?   
  
Yes, PURPLE was NICE color. MARLLER and Senbei NEVER seemed TO wear anything WITH purple. Maybe HE would GET them something IN purple.   
Or MAYBE... Or maybe HE'D just KILL THEM... KILLING WAS ALWAYS FUN. HE LIKED KILLING. HE COULD KILL MARLLER right now: SHE'D never expect IT now.  
  
WASN'T he supp osed TO b e HE LPING marller WITH the two nuns? H ELPING marller wouldn't fur ther hi s PLANS . if the two fool ish nuns managed to banish or seal marl ler, it ma tter ed li t tle in the end.  
  
no! he needed her al ive for now... but #hy?  
  
peorth. Help wi th peo#th . she 'd be ar#@ving any time now... marller should hurry u%...  
  
peorth was a #retty %oddess. S$e alw@ys wo^e su&h in(eres)ing cl_th+ng. @# p$%ple t#$ug^.  
  
*&d.^& He #$%ed $%#%le. #$ was a pretty col*r.  
  
#%#@ ^^&^% #%$^%& $#@^()@$^!  
_  
And Welpser giggled in childish delight...  
  
  
**+++++++++++++**  
  
  
**[ TO BE CONTINUED... ]**  
  
**CD Music Listened To While Writing Chapter:** Sakura Taisen 4 OST


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